Chardonnay
by TeamNoSleep
Summary: Sam and Dean. Dean and Sam. It's always been the two of them. Nothing got to them; nothing ever could. Especially for Dean. Dean wasn't afraid of anything. Until now. Until her.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello lovely! This is my first ever Supernatural fanfic and I'm super excited. This story doesn't really follow the Supernatural plot but takes place during season 1! Constructive criticism and chapter ideas are always welcome but please be nice! Without further ado, please enjoy!**

 **I do not own anything but Drew!**

 **[Dean]**

"Sammy," I stated upon exiting the small bathroom of the run-down motel room we had booked for the night. My brother arched an eyebrow up in response, barely glancing at me over his computer. "I need a drink."

"So go get one," Sam shrugged. "You've got the keys."

"Come on, nerd," I said, closing the laptop on Sam. "You look like you could use one too." Sam rolled his eyes but didn't argue. He closed the door behind us and trailed behind me to my most prized possession, my baby, my 1967 Chevy Impala. Led Zeppelin's _Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)_ was vaguely heard under the sweet purr of Baby's engine. I flashed a grin in Sam's direction as he rolled his eyes and settled into his seat.

"Chin up!" I exclaimed, giving Sam a light punch in the shoulder. "We're gonna go drink some beer and forget this whole day even happened."

"Alright, Dean," Sam said, rolling his eyes again. I turned the volume up as the song changed to _Ramble On._ A few minutes later, we arrived at the bar. It was a beach themed bar, making me feel like I was in Hawaii rather than California. It wasn't our usual bar scene, as it was a small indoor area for drinks with several tables and a dance floor outside next to the beach, but I figured it would be a good place to pick up chicks. Heaven knows Sammy and I could both use some action.

Sam immediately seemed to perk up when the bartender handed us our beers. We stayed at the bar stools and drank. We had finished up a relatively easy hunt. It was simply a single ghost haunting a small house occupied by a small family. Ghosts were the easy part. Dealing with the people was hard. After managing to survive an overly talkative and nervous mother who demanded she come with us and her husband to get rid of the ghost, anyone would need a beer. Or four.

A girl sighed as she sat down on the bar stool next to me. She set her clutch down on the table and sat silently, waiting for the bartender to finish up the orders of the people ahead of her. She was beautiful in a fierce and sexy way. She had dirty blonde hair that hung to the middle of her back in curls. Through the mirror, I could see her intense blue eyes as they watched her fiddling thumbs. She pursed her cherry red lipstick covered lips as she looked up at the bartender. She was dressed in a small, tight black dress-my favorite-that accentuated her chest and went down to just past her butt. She was wearing red heels that crisscrossed in a complicated pattern around her ankles.

"Chardonnay," I said. She looked at me.

"Excuse me?" she asked, with a slight Southern drawl.

"You look like a Chardonnay kinda girl," I smirked as I took a sip of my beer.

"Coke, actually," she smirked back, looking up at the bartender when he walked over. He nodded when he heard and turned back to get her drink.

"So tell me, Chardonnay," I turned towards her. I heard Sam's amused scoff as he stood up to go who knows where.

"The name's Drew," she told me, a small, amused smile still spread across her face.

"Dean," I smiled, shaking her hand. Her soft skin was a sharp contrast to my rough, callused hands. "So Chardonnay, what's a pretty girl like you doing here all by yourself?"

She laughed lightly. "Just hoping some desperate guy will try hitting on me."

"Well I hate to break it to you," I grinned, taking another sip of my beer. "I'm not hitting on you."

"Oh?" she lifted an eyebrow as she took a sip of her Coke.

"I just wanna dance," I smirked, holding out my hand. She let out another light laugh and shook her head. She placed a $5 under her half finished Coke and took my hand. I led her out to the small dance floor of the beach bar and brought her in close. Point one for Dean Winchester. We took a step and she stumbled a little.

"Sorry," she muttered, blushing.

"Women usually don't fall for me until at least the second song," I teased. She looked up at me, eyes wide and mouth open.

"I'm not used to heels!" she exclaimed, stepping away from me. A smile tugged at her lips as I pulled her back into me.

"We'll see about that," I whispered in her ear. She leaned into me, the curves of her body melting into mine. Definitely gorgeously sexy. One song turned into multiple and I quickly lost track of time. Not hard when the sexiest girl in the bar was dancing with me. Point two Dean.

"What do you say we get out of here?" I whispered into her ear. A soft giggle escaped her lips.

"And do what?" she whispered back, nipping lightly at my ear, which sent excited chills down my spine.

"Whatever you want," I answered, a little louder this time.

"Well I hate to break it to you," she pouted, "but I'm not that kinda girl." She stepped away, trailing her fingers slowly along my arm. She bit her lip slightly and winked at me. I couldn't help but smile back. She walked away, her hips swaying.

"It was nice to meet you, Dean," she waved, only slightly turning to look back at me as she walked away. I laughed and shook my head. Point one Chardonnay.

 **[Drew]**

I walked away from Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome extremely giddy. The way I acted surprised even me. With every boyfriend, every crush, I had never been so flirty-or so teasing-with any boy. It was a moment of confidence. Mama always said with the right dress and heels, you can do anything. And at that moment, all I wanted to do was take off my heels and makeup, and curl up in some sweats.

" _But was he really into me?_ " I thought, with a small smile tugging at my lips. For a split moment, I considered turning around and going back to dance with Dean. But he was incredibly attractive and clearly wanted some action. He wouldn't have a problem with finding another girl and had probably already found one to woo. I sighed and continued to my car. It was only a 5-minute drive from the bar to my one bedroom apartment. I hummed AC/DC's _Highway to Hell_ as I entered my apartment and took of my heels. My feet thanked me. I wasn't used to wearing heels or dressing up. Being a girl was so difficult.

I changed into leggings and a gray t-shirt, pulling my dirty blonde hair into a high ponytail. With a makeup wipe, I took off the red lipstick and mascara I was wearing. I quickly washed my face to remove the residue and walked out into the kitchen. It was nearly 2 in the morning but I was wide-awake and hungry. I put some popcorn in the microwave and settled down into the couch, scrolling through my phone.

Nearly 15 minutes later, a loud knock sounded from the door. It was enough to make me jump and spill popcorn all over the floor.

"Jeez," I muttered to myself. The knock sounded from the door again, louder this time.

"Coming!" I answered quickly, wondering who would be knocking at my door so late. I opened the door and a man I didn't recognize stood there.

"Can I help you?" I asked slowly. He didn't answer, simply taking a step towards me.

"Sir," I said nervously. "What do you want?" He took another step. His eyes seemed to look pure black. Panicking, I threw the door closed but the strange man held his arm out to keep the door from closing. I quickly ran to the counter where my keys were stashed and pulled out my pepper spray, spinning around to spray it directly in his eyes. He staggered back for a moment, but shook his head and continued towards me. I backed away, trying to spray him again. He closed his eyes but didn't stop.

In a last desperate attempt, I threw the bottle at him and ran towards the front door. He was right on my heels up until the doorway-a solid 4 feet, go me. He swooped me up in his arms and I shrieked. He threw me over his shoulder and I kicked wildly against him. I threw my fists against his back and squirmed as much as possible, hoping to at least loosen his grip on me. He was unfazed. Fear coursed through me as I struggled to accept that this could really be the end of me.

A dark car pulled up in front of us, it's bright headlights casting a long shadow on the ground below me. I screamed for help, silently begging this car brought my saviors. A gunshot went off and an inhuman wail escaped the man's lips. He staggered back slightly but continued to run. Another shot went off and my captor halted abruptly. The sudden stop caused my still-in-motion head to pound against his shoulder blade. He threw me off of him-literally threw me off with strength I didn't know a human could possess-and into a large van. I grunted as I heard the collision of my body with metal and then the large thud of my bones connecting with concrete. Another gunshot went off.

" _Exorcizamus te, Omnis Immundus Spiritus-"_ My captor's inhuman screech filled the night. I pulled my head up to see two silhouettes opposite the man who abducted me. " _Omnis Satanica Potestas, Omnis Incursio Infernalis-"_ My kidnapper's head flew back as a thick black cloud left his screaming mouth. He fell limp.

I screamed, covering my mouth quickly with my hand. Short, heavy breaths entered and exited my lungs with painful speed. The two figures walked towards me.

"St-stay away from me," I whimpered, trying to pull myself away. My scraped palms and twisted ankle cried in protest.

"We aren't going to hurt you," the taller of the figures told me, holding his hands up.

"Y-you just killed that man," I cried. "What _was_ that?"

"It wasn't a man," the second figure said, his voice oddly familiar.

"Then what was it?" I whimpered again, realizing the impact with the ground had also sprained my wrist.

"It was a demon."

I scoffed. "You're crazy. Get away from me or I'll call the cops."

"You're hurt. Let us help you."

"I'm not letting you anywhere near me," I hissed. I pulled myself up off the ground to prove I was fine. I took one step on my injured ankle and quickly fell over. One of my saviors/potential killers caught me before I could hit the ground.

"Now this is familiar, wouldn't you say so, Chardonnay?" he asked me.

"Dean?!" I asked, shooting a look up at him. I struggled against him. "Let me go."

"We aren't going to hurt you, I promise," he said, helping to steady me on my feet. "He was going to kill you. We just kept him from doing that."

I looked over to the limp body on the cement, sprawled out in unnatural angles. I kept a hand on Dean's arm. He was right. If they hadn't shown up, who knows what he would have done to me.

"Thank you," I said slowly. "I-I don't want to know what would have happened if you guys didn't save me."

"It's kind of what we do," the other man shrugged. "I'm Sam. I'm Dean's brother."

"Thank you, Sam," I told him. I tried to take a step, but my injured ankle gave out underneath me once again.

"There's no way you're getting anywhere on your own," Dean told me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Come on."

"Wait, but I live right there," I turned, pointing at my small apartment from the street.

"It's not safe for you there anymore," Sam said. "There are more where that guy came from."

"Where am I supposed to go then?"

"With us. You'll be safe," Dean said, guiding me to his car. Mama warned me about strangers. She told me to never get into a stranger's car. And despite every bit of reason screaming at me to not get in the car, somehow I felt safe. So I followed.

Dean situated me in the backseat, while he took the driver's seat and Sam took the passenger's. I leaned forward and stuck my hand out to Sam.

"I'm Drew, nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. I turned to Dean. "Your name really is Dean right?" He smiled and nodded.

"Now why would I lie about that?" he chuckled.

"Just trying to make friends with the men who abducted me second," I sighed, leaning back into my seat.

 **Once again, constructive criticism, chapter ideas, and case ideas are always welcome! Review please :) I hope you enjoyed. Much love xx until next time**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all! This is kind of a filler chapter so it's a _little_ slow, just to warn you! But I promise things will pick up next chapter. I just wanted to get this one up so I could focus on the upcoming chapters. Much love xx enjoy!**

 **I do not own anything but Drew**

Chapter 2

 **[Drew]**

Dean pulled up at a run-down motel a few minutes down the road from where I lived. He parked and went around to help me out of the car. I kept my arms folded across my chest when he offered a hand out.

"Come on now, Char. I promise I won't bite," Dean smirked.

"I'd rather you kill me in the car than a motel room. I like to keep it classy," I retorted. Dean laughed.

"I'm not going to kill you. You can trust me," he extended his hand out farther. I sighed and took his hand. I took two painful steps before Dean scooped me up in his arms and carried me into the motel room that Sam had already unlocked. Dean set me down on the bed and grabbed a duffel bag to set under my sprained ankle. Sam returned with a small bag of ice and draped it around my ankle. I subconsciously rolled out my wrist as I studied these two strangers.

"So Thing 1 and Thing 2," I said. Sam and Dean both looked up at me. "How did you know I was in trouble?"

"I have a radar for beautiful damsels in distress," Dean winked. I blushed and Dean chuckled.

"We were on our way back from the bar when we saw you in trouble," Sam clarified. "We stopped to help."

"I appreciate it," I told him. "Really. That guy was so creepy. He had one of the blackest eyes I've ever seen. It was so weird." I absent-mindedly rubbed my arm.

"That's because he was a demon."

I laughed nervously. "That is one crazy sense of humor you've got there. Demons aren't real." Dean and Sam remained expressionless.

"Demons aren't real," I stated again. They stayed silent. "Right?" Sam sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Dean sat down next to me. I settled back as they went into a long explanation about how everything I was terrified of as a child was real.

"Vampires?" I asked. They nodded. "Werewolves, ghosts, demons, everything?" They nodded again. "And you guys… hunt them?"

"That's our job. Saving people, hunting things. The family business," Dean told me matter-of-factly.

"What a life," I said, too amazed to add any sarcasm.

"Drew," Sam started. "Can you think of any reason a demon may have been after you?" I shook my head.

"I'm really at a loss," I answered. "I'm real low-profile. After my parents died, I moved into a one bedroom apartment and I've been working as a waitress at a small diner."

"Has anything unusual happened lately? Anyone acting strangely or someone showing up everywhere?"

"Besides you two?" I raised an eyebrow.

"We aren't that bad," Dean rolled his eyes playfully.

"No, I supposed I could have worse-looking men kidnap me for my own safety," I answered. Dean laughed and muttered something about how it was in my own best interest that I stayed. Like I had a choice, honestly.

"If you don't mind my asking," Sam said gently. "How long ago did your parents pass?" I scratched nervously at my arm.

"It would've been about 3 years ago now," I answered quietly. Sam and Dean muttered their apologies-something I had heard all too often-and we sat in uncomfortable silence.

"Alright, pretty lady, why don't you get some shut-eye and we can continue this at a more reasonable hour?" Dean suggested, gesturing to the clock that read 3 AM.

"Where am I supposed to sleep? I can't go home," I said slowly. Both Sam and Dean lifted an eyebrow at me.

"You're already in a bed," Dean chuckled. I shot a look at him.

"Well then where are you guys going to sleep?" There was only one more bed in the room and there was no way two men as big as them would sleep in the same bed. Their size and their ego wouldn't allow it.

"You know, ever since I met you in the bar, I've just been _dying_ to get you in bed with me," Dean muttered in my ear, his voice dropping to a deep, sexy purr that I didn't even know was possible.

"And I told you, Honey," I laughed lightly, pushing him away in an attempt to mask my sudden racing heart and the butterflies in my stomach. "I'm not that kinda girl."

"Dean, stop being a jerk," Sam rolled his eyes. "He won't try anything. If you really want, we'll kick him out to sleep in the car." Dean shot a look at him and shot back that if anyone was sleeping in the car, it would be Sam.

"It's okay," I spoke up. "Just mind your manners, Dean. Keep it classy; a lady likes a gentleman."

"Yes, ma'am," Dean smirked. I curled up in a ball under the covers and watching intently as Dean and Sam took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Dean stood in front of me a seductively peeled off his shirt, exposing his defined abs. As much as I loved how he looked, I let out a little yelp and quickly covered my head with the blanket.

"Now what's the matter, Chardonnay? Too much for you?"

"I have a strict rule that states no stripping until at _least_ the second date," I shot back. Dean laughed and laid down next to me on the bed.

"Can't wait," he whispered in my ear. I turned to face the other way and pulled the blanket tight around my shoulders.

"Good night, Dean," Sam said as he turned off the light. He situated himself on his bed and continued, "Good night, Drew."

"Good night, Sam," I answered.

"Good night, Gorgeous," Dean said, trailing his fingers lightly against my side through the thick comforter. Goosebumps followed where his fingers left.

I was determined to stay awake through the night. I was determined not to let my guard down. No way these strange men were going to catch me off guard. They had fallen asleep, their soft breathing the only sound in the otherwise silent motel room. My eyelids felt heavy, but there was no way I would give in. I was staying up no matter what.

Sunlight broke through the blinds, waking me up slowly. I snuggled deeper into the bed until memories of the night before came flooding back. My eyelids snapped open and the first thing I saw was the outline of Sam's rather large body on the other bed.

I looked to my left, where Dean was still sound asleep. It wasn't a dream; I had really been kidnapped by a demon and taken to safety by two strangers. Slowly, I pulled the covers off of me, trying to avoid waking him up. He stirred slightly as I turned to get off the bed but stayed asleep. I carefully put weight onto my injured ankle, grateful it had already healed a lot. With a slight limp, I hobbled to the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind me. I looked horrible. I _looked_ like I'd been taken by a demon. I turned the faucet and splashed cold water against my face. I cupped my hand and patted water against the back of my neck. I leaned against the sink and took a deep breath.

When I left the bathroom, Sam was already up and making his bed.

"Good morning," he smiled kindly. "How did you sleep?"

"I feel like I didn't sleep at all," I answered sheepishly.

"It's only 8," Sam answered. "We basically just napped." Dean stirred and let out a soft groan.

"Shut up, Sammy," he whined. "Some of us are trying to sleep." I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Let's go get a coffee," Sam whispered to me. I nodded and started towards the front door. Noticing my limp, Sam walked up next to me and slipped an arm around my waist, supporting me out the door. He helped me into the Impala and went around the car to drive. I gave him directions to the small diner I worked at.

"'Morning, Drew," one of my coworkers smiled when she saw me.

"Good morning, Darlin'," I smiled back, leading Sam to a booth. I ordered a coffee and blueberry pancakes, while Sam ordered a coffee, eggs, bacon, and toast.

"So, tell me about yourself," I said once our order was taken to the back.

"What do you want to know?"

"I want to know I can trust you."

"Dean and I hunt for a living. We travel across the U.S. keeping people safe from monsters."

"I still think it's so crazy those are real," I muttered, looking down at my twiddling fingers.

"Sometimes, I do too," Sam answered. "We were raised hunting. Our dad was a hunter, so it's always been our way of life."

"Sounds like a heck of a way to live."

"I pretty much hated it my whole life. I actually ended up at Stanford for a while."

"No way. What are you doing hunting? Why aren't you still there?"

"My girlfriend was killed by a demon that killed my mom. And our dad went missing. So I went back to the life."

"I'm so sorry."

Sam shrugged. "It could be worse, I guess. I've still got Dean. So what about you? What's your story?"

"Um," I bit my lip to think. "I'm 21, work at this diner. I don't know. I'm not really interesting."

"Dang, you're a baby," Sam laughed. Our food came at that moment and I hungrily took a bite of my pancakes, too impatient to pour syrup over them.

"Nuh uh!" I exclaimed with a mouthful. I quickly swallowed and continued, "How old are you guys?"

"I'm 22," Sam answered smugly. "Dean's 26."

"Oh my goodness, a _whole year_ ," I rolled my eyes sarcastically. "Basically a grandpa."

"No that's Dean," Sam laughed. We continued on with the rest of our breakfast making small talk. Just as I was taking my last bite, Sam's phone went off.

"Yeah?" he answered just before taking a large bite of eggs. "Dean calm down, we just went for breakfast."

I got up to go pay for breakfast. My coworkers all waved me off, stating this one was on them as long as I brought Tall, Dark, and Handsome back around again. I laughed and thanked them, walking back to the booth where Sam was still on the phone.

"Alright, we'll be back in a few minutes," he said, hanging up. We returned to the motel with a bag containing a box of eggs, sausage, and bacon, and a cup of steaming hot coffee for Dean.

"There you are," Dean exclaimed, taking the bag hungrily.

"Well good morning to you too," I answered, slipping by him and into the room.

"Chardonnay, you're even prettier in the light," Dean smirked, stuffing his face with eggs. I blushed and turned to sit down on the bed.

"So now what? Do I get to go home now?"

"We'll take you back and make sure it's safe for you there," Sam said. "Chances are there won't be a ton of demons lurking around your apartment in broad daylight."

"But don't you worry your pretty little head," Dean said between mouthfuls. "You've got armed escorts just in case."

"It's not the arms I'm worried about, Sonny," I said, putting on my best Marty impression from _Grease_. "It's the hands." Dean raised an eyebrow at me but continued eating his breakfast. He had finished his food at an almost alarming rate and within 15 minutes, we were back in the car and on the way back to my apartment.

"What happened to that guy's body?" I asked when we pulled up to an empty driveway. "And his car?"

"We had a few friends run clean up for us last night so we could make sure you were okay," Dean answered. He put the car in park and helped me out of the backseat.

"Well, this has been fun," I said slowly as I strolled towards the front door.

"I'd love to do it again, Chardonnay," Dean smirked, brushing up against me.

"Do what? Kidnap me or share a bed with me?" I teased.

"I'm just waiting for the second date," he winked. I quickly spun around to unlock the door so I wouldn't have to look at Sam's reaction. I let the boys into my apartment so they could survey the area and make sure it was safe. They gave me tips to demon-proof my house and also their numbers just in case a monster decided to put me on its to-do list.

"You _sure_ you don't wanna come along with us?" Dean asked.

"I'm engaged," I answered quickly.

"Where's the ring?" he smirked.

"I… I'm in school."

"No you're not," Sam's eyebrows pushed together in confusion. Clearly he wasn't getting that I was trying to come up with an excuse to not go anywhere.

"I'll be just fine here," I said. "Thanks for everything. Really."

"Anytime, Chardonnay," Dean answered, giving me a quick wink before he and Sam left. I huffed and fell into the couch.

What the hell.

 **Once again, sorry it's a bit slow but I promise it'll pick up again in the next chapter! Thanks so much for reading. Review please! Constructive criticism and ideas are ALWAYS welcome. Much love xx until next time**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you much for all the love! Uploads generally won't happen this fast but I promise to get them out as soon as possible. Enjoy!**

 **I do not own anything but Drew.**

Chapter 3

 **[Dean]**

"Where to next, Sammy?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

"You're kidding right?"

"No..?"

"You're just going to pretend that we didn't just leave behind a stunning girl who happens to be the first one to actually share a bed with you _just_ to sleep?"

"Hey man, it was her choice to stay behind. There will be plenty of other chicks." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Well, I found a case out in Nevada. A couple kids dropping dead. Looks like a witch."

"To Nevada we go," I answered, turning the radio up as we pulled out of Drew's driveway. I couldn't help but think about what Sam said. She _was_ stunning. And she was the first to spend a night with me and only sleep. But for some reason, I didn't feel like it was a bad thing. I was comfortable next to her. Somehow, she had gone from stunningly sexy at the bar in her little black dress and red lips to adorably sexy in her leggings and ponytail. It shouldn't be legal for a girl to be able to do that. I wished she'd come with us. I wouldn't mind so much having another person tag along. But I knew where she was coming from. She'd been abducted by a demon before even realizing demons were real. If I were her, I'd want to go back to a normal life and pretend none of that happened. Unfortunately, pretending none of that happened meant she'd be pretending she never met me. And for some reason, that hit deep.

Four hours later, we pulled up to a gas station to fill up and take a leak. Sam went ahead into the gas station while I stayed back to fill up the tank. While Baby was filling up, I checked my phone, a small part of me wishing I'd have a message from Drew. But my inbox was empty and I had no missed calls. I sighed and shoved my phone back into my pocket. Once Baby was finished, I pulled her up into a parking spot just outside the door and walked into the gas station. Sam was carrying as many snacks as his long arms could carry and had just reached the counter to pay.

"Hey, I'm gonna take a leak. I'll meet you back at the car," I told him. Sam nodded in acknowledgment and I made my way to the bathroom. Along the way, I noticed a girl, no older than Sam, with fiery red hair and long tanned legs. She made eyes at me and I gave her a slight nod, flashing her a grin. She blushed and quickly looked down at the bottle of water she was holding.

" _Still got it,"_ I thought. " _So why didn't I have the same effect on Drew?"_ I quickly shoved the thought of Drew out of my mind.

I met Sam back at Baby, where he was sitting in the passenger seat, guzzling a bottle of water.

"Whoa there, save some water for the rest of the planet, will ya?" I said, buckling my seatbelt and pulling out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, yeah, here you go," Sam answered, throwing a bag of chips onto my lap. Another hour passed and Sam was passed out; his mouth hung wide open and I couldn't help but laugh. I wished I could get a picture but my phone was sitting in my duffel bag in the backseat. Instead, I shoved a plastic spoon into his mouth and waited for him to wake up.

Sam's phone buzzed but he was passed out. Two more buzzes and it was silent. Probably nothing important. It went off again and I picked up his phone from where it lay in the cup holder and answered.

"Hello?"

"Dean?" a panicked voice sounded from the other side.

"Drew?"

"Help me," she whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"Th-there's so many of them," she whispered. Her voice cracked with fear. I slammed on the breaks, causing Sam's upper body to fly forward, waking him up.

"Dude!" he exclaimed. I spun the wheel and turned around.

"What's going on?" he asked slowly. I didn't answer.

"Drew, can you get out of there?"

"Dean, I'm so scared," she cried. "Please help me."

"We're coming, Chardonnay. We're coming."

"Dean!" her voice heightened into a shriek and the line went dead.

"Shit!" I exclaimed throwing the phone into the backseat. "Drew's in trouble."

I stepped on the gas. We were five hours away. No way Drew would make it that long.

"Sammy, I need you to call whichever hunter is closest to Drew and get him there asap," I commanded.

"Dean, what's going on?" Sam asked as he leaned back to grab his phone.

"I don't know. Someone's there and they've got her." I gripped the wheel, my jaw set, as I sped along the road.

I couldn't drive fast enough. Lights flashed by in a blur. I think we passed a few cars on our way back. Some probably honked when I sped past them. I couldn't be sure. I didn't care.

"She was our responsibility," I stated. "She was supposed to be safe."

"There is another hunter 20 minutes away from her," Sam said as he put his phone up to his ear. "She'll be okay."

"We shouldn't have left her," I muttered through clenched teeth.

"We couldn't have known, Dean. We did what we coul-This is Sam Winchester…" I tuned my brother out as he talked with the hunter, giving him what little information we had as to what he would be up against. Sam hung up and assured me Drew would be okay.

An hour and a half passed and I had yet to relax. "Where the hell is this guy?" I exclaimed. We still hadn't heard back from the hunter rescuing Drew. I began to fear the worst. I should have more trust in other hunters' abilities, but I struggled to trust anyone other than Sam and my father. For all I knew, this guy could be dead. And so could Drew.

Minutes passed and Sam's phone buzzed.

"Hello?" he answered. He paused before putting the phone on speaker.

" _I don't know what gave you boys the impression that this was the work of demons,"_ the voice came through. " _It took some tracking but I found your girl."_

"Is she safe?" I spoke up impatiently.

" _I'm gonna need some backup,"_ he answered. " _She's in a vamp nest. At least a dozen in there."_

"It's 3:30 in the afternoon," I exclaimed. "Kick open the doors, let the light in and kill those sons of bitches."

"Dean, there's a dozen in there," Sam hissed. "It'd be a suicide mission to go in alone." I hated to admit he was right.

 _"Good new is your girl is still alive. She's a feisty one, she is."_

"We'll be there in 3 ½ hours," Sam said. "Find out what you can and stock up on some dead man's blood. We're going in as soon as we get there." He got the location and hung up.

"We'll be there soon," Sam told me.

"Not soon enough," I grumbled, pressing harder on the gas. I couldn't decide if I

felt better or worse. Better because Drew was alive and fighting or worse because she was in a vamp next with a dozen blood-sucking leeches.

We pulled up behind a small pickup truck next to a chain link fence that was home to hundreds of intertwining vines. A man hopped out, wielding a shotgun and a machete strapped to his back. We shook hands and he introduced himself as Matt. He was short, probably about 5'6" and had bright red hair and a tangled beard.

"So what are we looking at?" Sam asked.

"3 guarding the entrance. Your girl is probably somewhere in the back. Everything else is unknown."

"We're going in blind," I huffed. "You're sure she's still alive?"

"She was an hour ago when I went to check out the area again," Matt answered.

"You got the blood?" Matt walked back to his truck and emerged seconds later carrying a small satchel. He lifted the flap to reveal 4 syringes filled with dead man's blood. I walked around to the back of Baby, removing the false bottom that covered our arsenal of weapons. Sam and I each pulled out a machete and a pistol.

"Let's do this."

We followed the shadows through the field to a seemingly abandoned warehouse. The sun was still up, so we were fairly certain no vampires would see us until we had actually entered the building. But you can never be too careful. Sam broke off to catch one of the vamps off guard. While Matt and I hung back, he used the corner of the building to hide himself. The vamp must have caught his scent and slowly edged around the corner. Before he could react, Sam was already swinging his machete, cutting the vampire's head off with one clean swipe.

Matt and I slowly made our way to the other two vampires, who were leaning against the doorway in silence. On the way, I swooped up the head of the vampire Sam had killed. The entrance dipped in a few feet from the sides, creating a small hallway between the vampires and us. Standing just around the corner, I rolled the head towards them to distract them. Both watched as the head rolled, looking confused, then surprised, then angry. Matt quickly spun around the corner, machete in hand, decapitating the vampire closest to us. I jumped out from behind him and took off the third vampire's head in a clean strike.

"3 down, 9 to go, eh?" Matt shrugged.

"Keep your guard up," I told him. "That was too easy." We silently entered the building, trying to slip in as quickly as possible so as not to let in a lot of light. Sudden light would surely announce our presence much quicker than we wanted. We crept through the building, searching for Drew. Matt thought she would be in the farthest room so as I made a beeline for the back, Sam and Matt peeked through doorways just in case. We froze when Sam's shoe scuffed against a dirt pile, but there were no vampires in sight.

" _Where are they?"_ I wondered. A locked door guarded the very last room in the far back of the building.

"This has to be it," I whispered. "Be ready." Sam and Matt each faced away from me, guarding my back as I aimed my pistol and shot at the door handle. It took three shots before the door creaked open. I pushed the door open further, machete at the ready. The room was empty except for one chair in the very center of the room, and one beat up, bloodied girl.

Drew's head hung limp, her blonde hair matted with dried blood. Her wrists and ankles were tied tightly to the chair and blood coated her clothes.

"Drew," I breathed, rushing to her side. My heart dropped to my stomach at the thought that she might not be alive. I knelt down next to her and gently tilted her head up.

She moaned slightly and I let out a breath of relief. If nothing else, she was alive. Her eyes opened just a crack, revealing her once bright but now dull, lifeless blue eyes.

"Dean?" she croaked.

"It's me, Chardonnay," I told her as I started to untie her. "We're going to get you out of here."

"Dean…" she muttered a few times, clearly trying to regain some form of clarity. "Dean, you have to get out of here."

"Not without you."

"They'll kill you."

"Not if we kill them first." I finished untying her. "Can you walk?" She nodded as she struggled to push herself up. I hooked an arm around her waist and led her towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" a creaking voice asked. "That's my dinner you've got there."

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed as the vampires suddenly surrounded him and Matt we had managed to avoid. I heard the grunts and sounds of combat. The vampire who stopped me, a 30-year-old man the same height as me with sickeningly sharp teeth, lunged. I stuck a leg out, kicking him in the stomach. He stumbled back for a second-long enough for me to grab the syringe of dead man's blood from my jacket pocket. When he lunged again, I stuck the needle deep into his neck and ejected the blood. With Drew leaning heavily on my side, I twisted around her, separating the vampire's head from his neck. Matt and Sam had managed to kill off 3 more vampires, suffering several cuts and scrapes along the way. I hoped they could handle the last few while I got Drew to safety.

We were mere feet from the door. The remaining 5 were occupied with Sam and Matt. Or so I thought.

Drew's body was swept out from my arms. She let out a small shriek as her body flew against the pillar, connecting with a loud crack. Her body fell limp at the base. A bloodied, angry female vampire stood in front of me. She bared her fangs and a soft hiss escaped from her lips.

"Big mistake," I hissed, throwing a punch in her direction. She swiftly dodged and sent a kick to the back of my knee, sending me to the ground. I rolled quickly to the side as she landed a punch to where my head used to be. It left a small hole in the concrete. I slid my leg, kicking her legs out from underneath her. I dove for the machete that had fallen a few feet away from me, grabbing it and swinging as soon as I heard her lunge. I missed her head-unfortunately-but managed to send a deep cut across her chest. She stepped back, looking down at the wide wound. She snarled at me and came at me with fierce speed. I pulled another syringe out of my jacket pocket-the only remaining one-and dug it into her neck. She looked dazed as she stepped back and fell to the floor. I panted and pulled myself off the ground. I picked up the machete and swiftly decapitated her.

"Man, we just took out a whole vampire nest!" Matt's excited voice echoed through the warehouse. I shot a look at him. Was this guy 30 or 3? Sam started running towards me and I booked it to where Drew's body lay.

Her breathing was shallow and uneven. It seemed every breath was a fight. Her heartbeat was faint and her skin was ghostly pale. She had a large bruise running across her right cheek, a busted lip, and several cuts and bite marks across every speck of exposed skin. I supported her upper body with my arm and her head hung limp against me.

"Come on, Chardonnay," I whispered. "Wake up."

 **I hope you enjoyed! Review please and let me know what you think/if you have any ideas. Much love xx until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, hello! Sorry it's been a while! Thanks for the love! Enjoy :)**

 **I do not own anything but Drew.**

Chapter 4

 **[Drew]**

I regained consciousness much like the tides: in waves, slowly, in and out. It was bright wherever I was; every time I managed to open my eyes, they stung in protest.

A kind looking woman stood over me. Her salt-and-pepper hair was tied back into a tight ponytail. She was dressed in dark pink scrubs and had a stethoscope draped around her neck.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice warped and masked slightly by a dull humming in my ears. She asked again when I didn't answer, this time her voice much clearer and the humming isolated to the machines I was hooked up to.

"What happened?" My voice came out in a croak and I broke in a fit of coughs because of the dryness in my throat. I cringed at the pain in my midsection.

"You were in a bike accident," she answered. "Crashed into a tree." I remembered briefly flying through the air. Had I really fallen off my bike and into a tree? Embarrassing. I hope I at least looked cool doing it.

"Luckily your fiancé found you before it was too late. He's a darling. Hasn't left your side since you got here." She looked up and smiled and I was suddenly aware of Sam and Dean sitting in the corner. "And your brother of course. Good genes run in your family, Honey. Keep them around." I looked over to the two men in the corner, who smiled at me.

The nurse took my vitals and headed out to get the doctor as Dean sat down in the chair next to my bed. "Hey baby," he said, taking my hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Fiancé?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"It was family only," he shrugged.

"And you didn't think to say you were my brother like your obviously much smarter brother, Sam?" I answered sassily.

"It was the first thing that popped into my head, Sassy Pants. Do you remember what happened?" Dean was wearing the same jacket he had found me in. Had he even changed? How long had I been there?

"We were inside," I thought aloud. "In my house. No. A really big, run down building. I was flying."

"Something like that," Sam smiled slightly.

"I wasn't riding a bike; I was tied to a chair," I mumbled, looking down at the faint bruising around my wrists. "They kept cutting me and hitting me. They bit me a lot, which was really weird and really hurt. What were they?"

"Vampires," Dean said gently as I gripped his hand tighter.

"They kept asking me what I knew," I started shaking. First a demon tries to abduct me and then I'm tortured by vampires? What luck. "I didn't know what they were talking about. They got so mad. They kept hurting me. I couldn't get free; they were so strong and so fast."

"They're gone now," Sam said. "You're safe."

"Why am I here?"

"You had a few cracked ribs and you lost a lot of blood. Along with all your other cuts, bumps, and bruises. The hospital has kept you in a drug-induced coma while you healed. They said the pain would have been too much if you were awake any earlier."

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost a week," Dean told me.

"Am I safe? Has it been safe this whole time?"

"Those vampires aren't going to come after you again. We took care of them."

"What did they want with me? I didn't even know vampires existed until the day they took me."

"We don't know," Sam sighed.

"Well, thank you for staying with me. Having you guys around makes me feel a lot better." The doctor came in to double check my vitals and see how I was doing. Dean and Sam stepped back while the doctor explained to me the extent of my injuries and how much longer I would need to be in the hospital. They wanted to keep me overnight just to be sure I would be okay when I wasn't hooked up to machines and, if all went well, I would be free to go home in the morning.

Sam and Dean stayed with me, watching the cheesy soap operas playing on the hospital TV. I'd been unconscious for a week and still, I was exhausted. My eyes started drooping.

"We're going to go so you can get some rest," Dean told me. He and Sam stood up out of their chairs and picked up their jackets.

"Stay with me?"

"Are you sure?" I nodded.

"Please. Don't leave me." Dean sat down next to my bed again, letting on hand rest on my shin, so I'd know he was there. Sam sat down on the other end of me, his hand on my forearm. I drifted off knowing I was safe and watched over.

I awoke the next morning when the doctor came in, notifying me that I was able to go home. A nurse wheeled me out to the front of the hospital, where Sam and Dean were waiting with the Impala.

"We'll take it from here," Sam said, guiding me out of the chair and into the car.

We were silent on the drive back. Dean kept the volume of his music down to keep the pain of my constant headache at a minimum. As we grew closer to my apartment, I got more and more anxious. I must have done a lousy job at hiding it because Dean reached his arm back and rested his hand on my knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Sam had his nose buried in a book but every so often, I would catch his eye through the rearview mirror and he would give me a comforting smile. I tried to smile back at them-to convince them and myself that I was alright-but I wasn't fooling anyone.

We pulled up to my apartment and my heart was beating a million times a minute. My nerves were on overdrive and I immediately decided I was never leaving the safety of the Impala. Dean put the car in park and went around to help me out. I hesitated before taking his hand and getting out.

"Drew, you good?" Sam asked. I nodded. I was freaking out. It took every ounce of self-control I had to keep my breathing slow. My heart was pounding in my ears; my whole body was shaking. I wasn't okay. And they knew that.

"You're safe," Dean told me. "We took out that vampire nest."

Sam pitched in. "And that demon is gone." Dean started ahead, holding my house keys. Before I could stop myself, I grabbed Dean's hand and blurted out his name. He stopped and looked at me I took a deep breath.

"Can I go with you?" The brothers looked at each other, wordlessly communicating. I held my breath; there was no going back now. Dean smirked at me.

"Even though we're strangers who could kill you at any moment?"

"Even the best of friends were strangers at one point," I smiled slightly. "Besides, I think if you wanted me dead, I'd be dead."

"Let's go get your stuff, Drew," Sam smiled. I grinned and excitedly followed Dean to my front door.

The living room was just as I had left it. Furniture was overturned; loose objects I had used as weapons were shattered and sprawled across the floor.

"Sorry for the mess," I joked nervously. "I haven't had a chance to clean up." Sam came up and draped his arm across my shoulders. He towered over my 5'6" frame, but I didn't feel intimidated. His height and strength, as well as Dean's, comforted me.

"We're here."

Sam and Dean started fixing my furniture-bless their kind souls-while I started packing. I fit as much as I could into my duffel bag. I made sure I had plenty of leggings and sports bras, as well as comfy pajamas and regular undergarments. I had a feeling I was looking at lots of traveling and exercise in the near future. I went into the bathroom to collect my toiletries. I grabbed deodorant, lotion, and perfume; I was a girl travelling with two guys. Sue me. I packed my shampoo and conditioner because my hair would not survive hotel soap.

I started out, feeling confident that I had packed all I needed. I spun right back on my heels when I realized I had forgotten one _very_ crucial item. I quickly tucked a box of tampons into my bag and walked out to my much cleaner living room.

"Bless your sweet hearts," I smiled. "You didn't have to clean up for me!"

"It's the least we could do," Dean answered. "Honestly." I took one last look at the apartment, thinking I should be feeling some sort of sentimentality. I was leaving my home. But I was itching to get out of the place where I had been assaulted and abducted. I locked the door behind me and followed Sam and Dean out to the car. I put my duffel bag in the backseat next to me and buckled up.

"Where to?" I asked excitedly.

"I think I found a ghost case out in Washington," Sam answered, looking at Dean.

"What do you say, Char? Up for some ghost hunting?"

"Man, oh man, I thought you'd never ask, Jack." I saw Dean's eyebrow lift up through the rearview mirror.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, you know, like Jack Daniels. I figured I'd nickname you after alcohol since you're apparently set on naming me after alcohol."

Dean laughed and shook his head. "Leave the nicknaming to me, pretty girl. That was almost embarrassing."

" _Almost_ ," I emphasized. "In other words, hardly."

"That was me being nice, Char. It was pretty embarrassing."

"Sam!" I whined. "Dean's being mean to me."

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. "Drew, it was pretty bad." Dean laughed and I huffed, crossing my arms and sinking down into my seat.

"Whose side are you on?"

"No sides. Just the truth," Sam chuckled.

"So this ghost," I huffed again. "Ghostbusters green, sheet with holes, or Casper-type?"

"Oh, Chardonnay. Sweet, sweet Chardonnay. You've got another thing coming," Dean laughed.

 **And they're off! I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, ideas, constructive criticism... Much love xx until next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all so much for all of the love! I get so excited when I get emails for new favorites/reviews. You guys are fantastic. And don't you worry! Drew's got a long adventure ahead of her with these boys ;) Enjoy!**

 **I do not own anything but Drew!**

Chapter 5

 **[Drew]**

"Wow! You sure know how to spoil a lady," I smiled as I climbed out of the Impala. We had pulled up to an old motel on the outskirts of a small town in Washington. I stretched, cringing slightly when I stretched my abs too far and my ribs cried in protest.

"Only the best for our dear Chardonnay," Dean winked. I rolled my eyes and went to grab my duffel bag out of the backseat. To my surprise, Sam had already grabbed my stuff for me and was at the trunk, unloading his and Dean's bags. I thanked Sam and followed him into the motel room.

Sam set our duffel bags down by the front door, while Dean threw his onto the bed closest to the window. I took a seat on the armchair, tucking my feet up underneath me.

"So, Ghostbusting 101," I started.

"Salt and burn the bones," Sam answered.

"Easy enough. When do we go?"

"Sam and I are leaving when it gets dark. You're gonna sit your butt here," Dean answered.

"What? That's not fair! You said I could go ghosthunting with you!"

"You will," Sam answered. "Just as soon as you're all healed."

"I'm fine!" Dean poked me in the side and I hissed in pain.

"Ghosts aren't going to be nearly as gentle."

"Well, what am I supposed to do then?" I huffed.

"You can do some research. Try to figure out whose spirit it is and what's keeping them here." Sam pulled out his laptop and handed it to me, walking me through what exactly to look for.

By the time Sam finished his long and detailed walk-through of how to research monsters, it was nearly sunset. Dean set up salt lines along the door and windows, then he and Sam packed up their gear. He reminded me constantly not to break the salt lines and to not step outside the room until they return.

"Good luck kiss?" Dean leaned down, gesturing for a kiss on his cheek.

"Get out of here," I laughed. "Be safe." With a wave, the boys were out the door.

I started out by searching through recent obituaries. No one seemed to really stick out. Police reports stated the family had been spooked by a man in his mid-50s with a burn on his face. All of the recent obituaries had been for elderly people who had died of natural causes in the local nursing home. So I widened my search. I googled fatal fires in hopes of finding the man through his scars. Unfortunately, the closest thing I could find in the town was a fiery car accident that hospitalized a young couple. But they were doing just fine now.

I continued to scroll through the results, occasionally clicking on dead-end links and sometimes changing my search. I scrolled a little farther until one link finally caught my eye:

FIRE KILLS WASHINGTON CHAINSAW KILLER

I quickly clicked the link and read through the article. Intrigued with what I found, I looked up the Washington Chainsaw Killer.

My phone buzzed, sending me a foot in the air. Suddenly aware of the world outside of the news articles, I looked down. Dean's name flashed on the screen.

"Dean?" I answered. "Are y'all okay?"

"We went in a little too confident, Char." Dean's deep voice was hard and aggressive.

"Are y'all okay?" I repeated.

"Just dandy. We're coming back to regroup. Tell me you found something."

"I found a lot actually. If this is who I think it is, he's dangerous and y'all are lucky to be alive."

"You got that right," Dean muttered. "We're pulling up now."

The line clicked and I quickly rushed to the window, making sure I opened the door for them and no one else. It seemed silly since Dean had just told me they were there, but the boys' instructions were very clear. Something about no more accidental abductions while they were gone. Whatever that was supposed to mean…

As they approached, I rushed to the door, removing the chain and let them in. Sam was clutching his left arm and Dean walked with a slight limp. Both were covered in dirt and blood. We stayed silent for a while. I helped Sam out of his jacket and he stepped into the bathroom to rinse off. Before he closed the door, I grabbed a washcloth and wet it in the sink.

I knelt down next to Dean, who had settled down in the armchair with his injured leg propped up on the table. Slowly and gently, I dabbed away the blood and dirt on his face. He winced when I touched a cut on his lip.

"I hate running," he grumbled.

"You didn't run," I told him. "You made a strategic decision to regroup and come back stronger." Sam stepped out of the bathroom. Without a word, Dean stood up and hobbled to the bathroom. Sam sprawled out across his bed, letting out a long sigh.

"Sam, are you okay?"

He nodded. "We honestly weren't expecting a violent spirit. There were no reports suggesting it. It was supposed to be a simple salt and burn."

"How's your arm?"

"A little battered and bruised, but nothing worth worrying about."

"Well, I learned a lot while y'all were gone. It really freaked me out. I was afraid y'all were done for."

"Takes more than an angry spirit to take out the Winchesters," Sam smiled.

"So I guess it's a good thing I didn't come then, huh?" Sam laughed and nodded. Dean walked out much sooner than I thought he would.

"Alright, we've got one seriously pissed off ghost on our hands," he said as he sat down on his bed. "Chardonnay, what'd you learn?"

I opened up Sam's laptop. "20 years ago, 54 year old Jacob Daginson perished when his home burned to the ground. When the fire was put out and the smoke cleared, police found an outside entrance to a cellar. This cellar is where they found the Washington Chainsaw Killer's latest victim, as well as his arsenal of handsaws, chainsaws, and hacksaws."

"So what, our guy is this 'chainsaw killer'?" Dean asked.

I nodded. "Basically, Jacob Daginson would lure runaways and prostitutes-you know, high risk girls-to his home where he'd drug them and then hack up their bodies with a chainsaw."

"Did they find his body?" Sam asked.

I searched the article before shaking my head. "The fire destroyed everything above ground."

"So he's gotta be tethered to something else."

"But what?" Dean wondered aloud. "Didn't you say everything above ground was destroyed?"

"Some of his belongings from the cellar are probably at the police station," I answered. "I doubt the cops would leave anything behind."

"Char, where's the station?"

"Umm… about 2 miles from here. Why?"

"We gotta figure out what he's tethered to and burn it." Sam and Dean both stood up and headed for the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I exclaimed, jumping in front of them. "You are both hur. You need to rest and heal."

"Drew, we can rest when Jacob's gone," Same answered, taking another step. I pressed myself against the door, arms outstretched.

"Alright, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, how about the fact that what you're about to do is so _incredibly illegal_?"

Dean chuckled. "There's nothing about what we do that's legal."

"Then at least let me come with you. I'll drive the getaway car when you idiots get caught."

"Oh, you are not driving Baby." Dean made a motion to move me.

"Then let me be a distraction!"

"Dean, it wouldn't hurt to have a distraction. This is the least dangerous part of the case."

"Well, sweetheart, if you're going to be a distraction, you're going to have to change." I looked down at my jeans and sweatshirt; my heart dropped. I may have tried jumping into this "hunter" thing a little too fast.

 **Sorry it's a bit of a cliffy but stay tuned for this next adventure! Please don't hesitate to give me any feedback! It makes me a better writer :)**

 **Much love xx until next time**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back lovelies! I hope you enjoy the rest of this case! Thank you again for all of the love :)**

 **I do not own anything but Drew.**

Chapter 6

 **[Drew]**

I tugged absent-mindedly at the zipper of my running jacket; underneath, I was only wearing a sports bra. Sam and Dean filled me in on the plan. I was in charge of keeping the night watchman-or night watch _men_ -out of the back. They told me to keep them occupied. At risk of prostituting myself to the cops, I dressed in tight exercise clothing. Just in case.

"You'll go in first," Dean told me. "Sam and I will go around back. Looks like there are two of them. You ready?" I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be. When will I know when to get out?"

"When we give the signal."

"Which is..?"

"You'll know."

"Alright," I said, stepping out of the car. "Here goes nothing."

I nervously walked into the station. Two men sat at the front desk. They were both in their late 20s-early 30s and looked bored out of their minds.

"E-excuse me?" I said, walking up to them.

"How can we help you, ma'am?" They both looked up at me. One had buzzed blonde hair and had a large, muscular build. The other had longer brown hair, gelled to the side, and a much thinner build.

"I was out running and I lost my dog," I answered, stating the first thing that came to mind.

"Tell me, miss," the blonde one said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you usually go out running at 1 AM?"

"It's quiet. I get my 'me' time."

"Have you called animal control? They're usually better at missing animals."

"No, I-uh…" A loud crash sounded from the back. _Idiots_.

"What was that?" the brunette asked, turning around.

"Please," I sobbed loudly. "Find my dog."

"Jones, go check that out, will you?" the blonde said.

"It's hot in here!" I exclaimed quickly. "Do you mind if I take this off?" I quickly unzipped my jacket and took it off, tying it around my waist. Both men stopped and stared at me for a moment. You'd think they'd never seen a woman in a sports bra before.

"Um, McHallen, why don't you go check it out? I can help the lady find her dog," Jones said, walking back towards us.

"No, Jones, it's okay. I can handle this. What's your name, miss?"

"Charlotte," I lied.

"Charlotte," Jones smiled. "What's your dog's name?"

"Tiny," I answered. "He's a German Shepherd." Another crash sounded from the back.

"Son of a-" McHallen exclaimed. "What is going on back there?"

"Ma'am, will you excuse us for a moment?" Jones asked as they both started towards the back. _Those idiots._

"Oh!" I moaned loudly as I dropped to the floor. I hit the desk on my way down. _Ouch._

Jones and McHallen rushed to my side. I quickly shut my eyes as they checked my pulse and breathing. One of them put his hands on my chest and started pumping. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming or crying. Chest compressions plus cracked ribs are not a good combination. He tilted my head back, pulled my lips apart, and pinched my nose. I heard him inhale and his hot breath filled my lungs. Those dang Winchesters owed me _big time_. He blew again and went back to pumping. The other one, whichever one it was, was muttering about a woman down, emergency medical services requested immediately.

I heard an engine rev outside. That had to be the signal. It revved twice more. That was it. No doubt.

I dramatically gasped and shot up. I pretended to take a second to catch my breath.

"Are you okay?" Both Jones and McHallen stood over me, repeating the question over and over when I didn't answer.

"You know what? Tiny probably found his way home. Thanks so much for your help, officers." I stood up and ran before they could ask questions.

I jumped into the backseat of the Impala and let out a long sigh.

"So how'd it go?" Dean let out a laugh. He had immediately started driving when I got in the car. I shot a glare at him through the rearview mirror as I tugged my jacket out from underneath me.

"Great!" I exclaimed. "Can't say I've ever been kissed by a cop before tonight." I winced in pain as I struggled to get my jacket on without twisting my abdomen too much.

"He _kissed_ you? Man, that's gold. You're better than I thought, Char!" Dean continued laughing.

"Well since you two idiots apparently don't know how to be stealthy _or_ quiet, I had to get CPR to keep those cops from catching you," I growled back.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked me. "I know your ribs still put you in a lot of pain."

"Ask me after the pain meds I'm about to take kick in." I leaned back in the seat, staring up at the roof of the car. "Tell me you guys found something and this agony was worth it." Sam held up leather worker gloves.

"Jacob wore these during his kills," Sam answered.

"So, what? We gotta burn those and then we're set? No more Chainsaw Killer?"

"No more Chainsaw Killer," Dean assured. We rode in silence for the rest of the drive to the cemetery.

"Give me the gloves," I stated, holding my palm out when Dean put the car in park.

"Excuse me?" Dean lifted an eyebrow.

"You heard me. Hand it over." Sam and Dean exchanged confused looks. "I think I deserve to be the one to burn these gloves."

"Fine," Sam chuckled. The three of us got out of the car and walked deeper into the cemetery, so the fire wouldn't be seen from the streets. A bit reluctantly, Dean handed me a lighter and trailed a few feet ahead of me. Sam walked next to me and assured this would be easy. All I had to do was drop the lighter on the gloves.

Sam and Dean started to gather a small pit of twigs and surrounded it with stones to prevent the fire from spreading. These boys must have been boy scouts in a past life. I stepped a few feet away to gaze up at the stars. I absent-mindedly flicked the lighter off and on, trying to keep my mind off of the fact that I was about to burn gloves to kill a ghost.

"Char, you ready?" Dean placed his hand gently on the middle of my back. I nodded and followed him back to the small pit he and his brother created. I stood over the worn gloves with the lighter at the ready.

A shrill scream broke the silence. It took me a moment to realize it came from me. I was on the ground, wind knocked right out of me. My chest and back ached from the impact.

He was kneeling over me, straddling my waist in a way that seemed to crush my intestines. His face was burnt, charred almost back in some places. His face was twisted in anger. I was frozen in fear. Jacob's face inched closer to mine and a low growl escaped lips as he wrapped his hot, calloused hands around my throat. I clawed desperately at his hands to no avail. Why hadn't Sam and Dean gotten him off me yet?

"Sam, take the shot!" Dean's voice boomed.

"I can't, I'll hit Drew!" Sam yelled back. My lungs screamed for air and I could have sworn Jacob was smiling. Like his sick, twisted spirit enjoyed squeezing the life out of me.

A shadow of a body lunged into Jacob, throwing his spirit off me. I gasped in air, coughing and clutching my burning throat. I leaned over to the side, supporting my weight on one hand as I tried to fight back the sobs. A gunshot went off and I looked up to see Sam holstering a gun and picking up the lighter I had dropped. Dean came running back to us.

"Give it to me." My voice came out as a dry croak. I pulled myself up off the ground and took the lighter out of Sam's hand. I took a few shaky steps back to where Jacob's gloves lay. His spirit appeared a few feet in front of my, face twisted even more in fury.

"Rot in Hell," I hissed as I dropped the lighter onto his gloves. He let out a roar as he lunged for me. Inches before he reached me, he erupted into flames and, just like that, he was gone.

I collapsed to my knees and let out a deep sigh.

"Are you okay, Chardonnay?" Dean knelt down next to me. I nodded slowly and squeezed my arms to my stomach. "You did great." He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned into him. As much as I tried to fight it, a single tear ran down my cheek.

We sat and watched as the fire dimmed to glowing embers. "Does this mean I'm officially a Ghostbuster?" I asked. The Winchesters laughed.

"Let's get going," Sam said. "We need the rest." Dean helped me up and we went back to the car.

It was nearly 2:30 when we got back to the motel. I made a beeline for the bathroom, picking up my duffel bag on the way. I peeled off my dirt-coated clothes and stood in the shower, letting the water roll down my skin. Steam filled the bathroom and I only wished the water would get hotter.

A few minutes later, I stepped out of the shower and slipped on pajama shorts and a bagging t-shirt. I threw my wet hair up into a bunch and quickly brushed my teeth before walking back out to the main room. The boys were watching an old episode of _Buffy: the Vampire Slayer_.

"Funny," I laughed as I curled up in the armchair. By then, the adrenaline had worn off and I was getting the full force of my cracked ribs' anger. I cringed every time I shifted. Sam and Dean started to take turns getting cleaned off and ready for bed. I didn't pay much attention to them. Instead, I focused on Buffy and back to when vampires, ghosts, and demons were just scary stories. I grabbed the blanket I had brought and snuggled up inside it. The chair was much comfier than I had expected and I finally managed to find a comfortable spot that brought the least amount of pain. Soon enough, I fell asleep.

 **I hope you enjoyed! As always, critiques, comments, and ideas are always welcome in reviews or PMs. You guys rock. Review please :)**

 **Much love xx until next time**

 **CYTstagepenguin:** **thank you for your review and continued support. It means so so much; you are so very sweet. I hope you continue to enjoy this story :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello lovelies, and welcome to another chapter of Chardonnay. Enjoy :)**

 **I do not own anything but Drew!**

Chapter 7

When I awoke, I was curled up on the bed, clutching the blankets tightly around my shoulders. I rolled over, careful as to not upset my injuries, and found Dean fast asleep in the chair I had originally fallen asleep in. How selfless and kind of him.

It was just after 10 AM. Sam stepped out of the bathroom and gave me a small smile when he saw I was awake.

"Good morning," he whispered as he sat down at his computer. I smiled back in a tired acknowledgement and made my way to the bathroom. I had fallen asleep with wet hair the night before and, as a result, my hair had dried with awkward creases. I quickly braided my hair into two pigtails and covered up the fading bruise across my cheekbone with concealer. I could live with the healing cuts across my face and neck, but that nasty yellow-green bruise would not do.

When I walked back out, now dressed in jeans and a tank top with a gray cardigan, Dean was awake and peering over Sam's shoulder at the laptop.

"Already itching for another ghost to kill?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of Sam's bed.

"Not much else to do, now is there, Chardonnay?" Dean answered, not bothering to look up from the computer.

"By the way, Dean, thanks for letting me have the bed last night. You didn't have to do that."

"My pleasure," Dean winked at me. "By the way, these are real cute." He flicked on of my braids up before grabbing his duffel bag and walking into the bathroom.

"Here," Sam said as he handed me a bottle of Advil.

"Bless your sweet heart," I said, graciously taking the bottle. I walked over to the counter where the complimentary coffee and coffee pot were and started making my cup. By the time it was ready, Dean was out of the bathroom and back to peering at the computer over Sam's shoulder.

"Do y'all own anything other than plaid?" I observed the two of them in their flannel shirts and jeans.

"Ladies like the plaid," Dean answered simply. I rolled my eyes and mixed sugar and cream into my coffee.

As I leaned against the counter and drank, Sam and Dean spoke to each other in hushed voices. Dean was constantly referring to an old leather book he held in his hand. I walked over to them, leaning one arm on Dean's shoulder and draping the other around Sam's. I caught the tail end of their conversation before they immediately shut up.

"So what's going on?" Sam and Dean sat silently. Sam caught me stealing a glance at his computer before he quickly shut it.

I sat down in the chair opposite them. I crossed my arms and one leg over the other and watched them. They sat uncomfortably. I continued to watch them, getting more and more frustrated by the moment.

"Alright, here's the deal," I said finally, laying both hands on the table. "I get that I'm new here. You aren't sure if you can trust me. But I took the risk to trust you two and now it's your turn to trust me."

Sam started, "It's not that we don't-"

I interrupted him. "Maybe it isn't even trust. The point is, like it or not, we're a team now. And until we decide otherwise, we're stuck together. So you two need to learn that I may be new, but I can be very helpful if you'll let me."

"Feisty," Dean laughed.

"Alright, Drew," Sam sighed. "Here's the deal…"

"A demon with yellow eyes?" They nodded. "Missing dad?" Another nod. "And this demon… he killed your mom?" Another nod. "Jeez. There is no end to the surprises with you boys."

"Tell me about it," Sam chuckled. "Imagine my surprise when this idiot suddenly shows up at Stanford to tell me dad's gone." Dean smacked Sam upside the head, which only resulted in laughs.

"How can I help?"

"You really want to?"

"You two saved my life. Three times now. It is quite literally the very least I can do."

"That's really kind of you, Drew," Sam smiled. Dean's phone went off and he stepped outside to answer it. "Come here, I'll show you what to look for." I scooted my chair closer to Sam and listened as he began to explain what to look for when searching for a case and, more importantly, how to follow the trail of the Yellow-Eyed Demon.

"Pack it up, you two," Dean walked back in. "Bobby's got a case for us." Without a word, Sam closed his laptop and packed it away. I, on the other hand, stayed put.

"Seriously? Already?"

"Monsters are everywhere, all the time. Better get used to it, Chardonnay."

"Well, who's Bobby?"

"You'll meet him eventually. But now, get your ass up, we gotta go."

"Okay, okay." I picked up my already packed duffel bag. "I'm ready." Dean slipped my duffel bag off my arm and carried it out to the car.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I'm not totally incapable!" Dean turned to look at me and laughed.

"Pretty girl, it has nothing to do with your abilities and everything to do with simply being a gentleman." I smirked and shook my head. I followed him to the car, reaching for the car handle. Dean put his arm on the door.

"Are you sure about this?" I turned to face him. He was standing much closer than I anticipated; his face was mere inches from mine. His green eyes searched mine intently.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." I took his hand in mine, feeling just as surprised as he looked. "I know the risks and I'm okay with them. With you two, I'll be in more danger than I ever have in my life. But, as long as I'm with you, I'll never be safer." Dean's face softened and he continued to look into my eyes. My breath caught as he leaned in closer.

"Ready?" Sam's voice snapped us out of this trance we were in. Dean cleared his throat and nodded at Sam before moving to the driver's seat.

I sat silently in the backseat, trying to process what exactly had occurred between Dean and me. I chalked it up to just being a "caught up in the moment" situation. One that would not ever happen again.

"Where does Bobby want us?" Sam asked as Dean pulled out of the motel parking lot.

"Oklahoma," Dean answered. "So settle yourselves in, kids. We've got a long drive ahead of us."

I leaned forward, poking my head between the two front seats.

"I spy with my little eye…"

"Char?"

"Yeah?"

"No." I huffed and leaned back into my seat.

"You never let me have any fun," I whined dramatically.

"Oh, don't blame me for that, Chardonnay. Blame Sam." The two of us looked at him, confused. "If Sam wasn't here, the two of us could be having all the fun you want." I let out a little yelp and my cheeked burned. Sam and Dean laughed while I proceeded to pretend the suddenly be _very_ interested in my shoes.

We arrived at the motel some time in the afternoon. Sam took over driving for the last few hours so Dean could get some rest before the hunt. Dean went to check us in while Sam and I unloaded the car. Or rather, Sam unloaded the car. I think they were babying me. Dean returned moments later and picked up his duffel bag. Sam carried mine in-swatting my hand away every time I reached for it-and tossed it on the bed closest to the window. He immediately took his laptop out and sat down at the table.

"What are we looking at here?" I asked, sitting down in the chair next to him.

"Bobby said there have been a bunch of murders happening here. People have been arrested but they have no recollection of it happening," Dean answered.

"And each person was caught on camera moments before the murders occurred," Sam added.

"So… what does that mean?" I asked.

"Can't say for sure yet. Let's go check out the last crime scene," Dean answered. He and Sam took turns changing into suits in the bathroom without saying a word to each other or myself.

"Awww, so handsome!" I cooed when they stood in front of me, fully changed into suits and ties. "So, how exactly do you expect to get into the crime scene?" Immediately, Sam and Dean reached into the inside pocket of their jackets and pulled out FBI badges.

"Oh man," I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head. "Do you guys do _anything_ legal?"

"Live life on the wild side, Chardonnay," Dean smirked. I watched as he and Sam finished tying their ties around their necks and headed out to the Impala.

Once they were gone, I sat down at Sam's laptop and started doing research. I started by looking up news reports for the murders.

As of two weeks prior, three women had been murdered by their significant others or family. The first, a 25-year-old woman named Sarah, was killed by her fiancé. Her fiancé was arrested just a day later when his fingerprints were discovered on the bloodied knife at the crime scene and he was caught by a street camera leaving the scene of the crime. Just like the knife, he was also covered in blood.

A few days after the arrest of Sarah's fiancé, a 30-year-old woman named Lily was found dead in her home. Her brother was arrested for the crime. He had apparently been in and out of prison for years for drug abuse and robberies. Again, he had been caught on street cameras leaving the scene of the crime covered in blood.

Dean and Sam had gone to check out the crime scene of the most recent murder. I couldn't find much information about this one. There was a news article simply stating a 27-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment and her husband was in custody. No names and no manner of death were released.

By the time I finished finding all I could on the topic, the Winchesters had been gone for just barely an hour. Sam called me to tell me they had finished up at the crime scene and were headed to the police station to interview the man they had in custody. I was exhausted, so I closed the laptop, took some Advil, and laid down in one of the beds. I absent-mindedly flipped through the channels on the TV, finally settling on an overly dramatic soap opera as nothing else really caught my eye.

I found myself slowly drifting off when the motel door flew open. I was suddenly very aware of my surroundings and my heart pounded. Seeing that it was only Sam, I relaxed and held my hand over my chest.

"Heavens, you scared me," I sighed. Sam looked at me, his eyes seeming to pierce through to my very soul. "Where's Dean?" Sam stayed silent, his jaw was set. He took a slow step toward me. I had never been truly afraid of Sam, but in that moment, his presence was dark and ominous.

"Sam…?" I cautiously scooted towards the backboard of the bed. His eyes were so dark. My heart raced. "Sam, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Sam spoke for the first time upon entering the room. His voice was deeper than usual. But it was Sam's voice nonetheless. "Nothing's going on."

"Well then where's Dean?"

"Doesn't matter." My heart pounded in my ears. Sam took another step towards me. And suddenly, he was on top of me. His weight crushed my already fragile ribs. His large hands pinned my wrists to the bed and I screamed.

"Sam, get off me please!" I begged, unsuccessfully trying to free myself from his grip. I have no idea where he pulled the rope from, but he swiftly gripped both of my wrists in one hand and tied them together with the rope. He pulled me up by the rope with aggressive force and pulled me off the bed. Sam threw me into a chair and, again pulling a rope out from who knows where, tied me down to the chair.

"Sam, please, what are you doing? Let me go," I cried, struggling to get free. Sam slowly stroked the back of his hand against my cheek and then made his way over to his bag. Out of the side pocket, he pulled out a switchblade. My eyes grew wide and I fought harder to get free.

"Time to say goodbye," Sam cooed, as he slowly trailed the back of the knife against the same spot on my cheek where his hand had traced moments before. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to fight back a grimace. But I couldn't. I was so afraid. Sam drew his arm back and the knife glistened in the dull motel lighting. I swear it was just like a dramatic moment in a movie.

And just like any dramatic moment in a movie, Dean came bursting through the door. He fired his gun and Sam let out a wail. Dean came closer, stepping between his brother and myself. Sam ran out the door.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked as he knelt down next to me, untying the binds around my wrists.

"What the hell was that?" I cried. "Why was Sam trying to kill me?"

"That wasn't Sam," Dean answered. He finished untying me and helped me out of the chair. "Come on. I'm not leaving you alone again."

I followed him out the door of the motel room and around the corner of the motel. Dean stopped in his tracks and knelt down to get a closer look at something. I peered around him to see what had caught his attention.

A fleshy pile sat on the sidewalk, complete with some strands of hair and nails. It took me a moment to realize the scream was coming from me. My legs gave out and I crumbled to the ground. I clasped one hand over my mouth and clutched my stomach with the other arm as I sat there in a shaking mess.

"Shhh," Dean said, holding me to him. "It's okay, it's okay."

"What the hell is that," I asked shakily. Dean stroked my hair and held my head to his chest. He wrapped an arm around me and held me close.

"It's a shifter," he answered. "That wasn't Sam, it was a shifter."

 **I hope you enjoyed! As always, comments, critiques, and ideas are always welcome so please feel free to let me know! Please review :) Until next time xx much love**

 **Guest:** **thank you so much for your review! I saw it right before I had a long day of work (look at us) and it definitely brightened up my whole day. I am so so glad you're enjoying this story and the development of the relationships and friendships between Drew and the boys. I am having so much fun writing it and I hope you continue to read and enjoy their story. Once again, thanks so much 3 :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's been an almost embarrassing amount of time since I've last uploaded and I am SO sorry! I've got tons of ideas for later on in the story, it's just getting there that's taking up so much time. I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Drew's story!**

 **I do not own Supernatural.**

Chapter 8

Sam came running around the corner. He was breathless when he asked us if we were okay. I instinctively took a step behind Dean before he explained a shifter had attacked me.

"Drew, are you okay?" Sam leaned to look at me around Dean. I nodded quickly and took a step backward when Sam stepped toward me. Something squished underneath my food and I let out a shrill scream. Dean spun around and pulled me into him; his body shook with laughter.

"It's not funny," I hissed, ripping myself out of his arms.

"It's pretty funny, Car," Dean said between laughs. "I've never heard of anyone stepping in shifter skin before."

"Glad I could amuse," I glared at him before pushing past him and his brother. I stormed right into the motel room, planting myself on the bed with a huff.

"Aww," Dean cooed mockingly when he and Sam saw me sitting crisscross on the bed in all my pouty glory.

"Quit mocking me," I hissed. "I just stepped in a pile of _skin_."

"Oh, Char, that's what's so funny. Your reaction was adorable."

"Well don't you know how to charm a girl."

"Okay, enough you two," Sam stepped between us before Dean could make another brainless comment. "We need to figure out our next step."

"Here's an idea!" I exclaimed with mock enthusiasm. "How about you find this charming new best friend of mine and, I don't know, maybe kill it?"

"Wow, feisty Chardonnay," Dean lifted his eyebrows at me. I flashed him a sarcastic smile and picked my phone off of the bedside table.

Sam and Dean continued on with their investigation at the table while I continued to pout on the bed. In hindsight, not my proudest moment.

Days went on and we still weren't any closer to figuring out what attacked me and why. Even worse, I went out of my way to make sure I was never alone with Sam. It wasn't Sam's fault I was so nervous around him after that. After all, he hadn't been the one to assault me. It's not Sam's fault some shifter decided to put on his skin and come after me. But still, every time I saw Sam, I saw the shifter's dark eyes as he aimed his knife for my throat.

Dean wouldn't let me out of his sight. After yet _another_ attack, he was more protective than ever. I felt bad; at that point, I had to be a burden. I had known these guys for nearly three weeks and they'd already had to come to my rescue four times. Even I had to admit, it was getting ridiculous. There was probably a sign on me that only monsters could read. It had to be a big, neon lighted sign that said "Kill Me" or something. If only I'd gotten this much attention from boys in high school. I could be married and living in a nice house with a nice boy by now, instead of living out of motels with two boys who hunt monsters for a living.

As they drove around town to interview different people, they kept me in the back seat, with only a Solitaire and Sudoku app on my phone to keep me entertained. What a life.

The Winchesters were good at what they did. I still have no idea how they managed to track down the shifter and, yet, just hours after they finished interviewing people, we were staked out at a house believed to be the shifter's next target.

"How do you know this is where he's going to hit?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat. Sam turned to look back at me and I immediately cowered away. Sam looked at me with puppy dog eyes that tugged at my heart like nothing ever had before.

"All of the guys who were accused of the attacks were caught for DUIs this month. This house is where the last guy on the list lives with his wife and kids."

"Sammy," Dean said. He didn't need to say anything else. The two got out of the car, already armed with their guns out of the car, already armed with silver bullet loaded guns.

"Be safe," I whispered as I watched them walk away. What a shifter wanted with a list of DUI convicts was beyond me, but I was glad the pattern was easy enough for the boys to put a stop to it.

The muscles in my leg were getting tired from my constant, nervous tapping. The boys emerged from the house about 45 minutes after leaving. They were bloodied and bruised, but overall, okay. They were in a hurry to leave in case the neighbors called the police because of the gunshots. They had fake FBI badges but I guess they just didn't want so many questions.

"Are you guys okay?" There was a silence. "Guys?"

"We're good, Drew," Sam reassured me. He and Dean exchanged a glance and I knew something was wrong.

Dean was the first in the motel bathroom to shower, leaving Sam with me alone. I sat on the bed, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Drew," he said finally. He sat down on the edge of the bed and I immediately drew my knees up to my chest. Sam gave me another look that tugged on my heart and I slowly put my legs back down.

"I'm so sorry," he said. I looked at my friend. He looked so sad and so hurt. And yet, all I could see was the shifter wearing Sam's skin to kill me. Its dark eyes flashed in my mind, his growl rang in my ears.

I threw myself into him, praying the embrace would push my fears away.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into his shoulder. Sam pulled away, his hands lingered on my arms. He looked me in the eye before speaking.

"The shifter is dead. And I promise you, I would never do anything to hurt you." I gave him a small, nervous smile and leaned back into the bed. Dean came out of the bathroom a few minutes later and exchanged a quick glance with Sam. Sam got up and switched places with Dean, going into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

"Hey, Chardonnay, can we talk?" Dean asked as he sat down next to me on the bed.

"What's up?"

"The shifter started saying some real weird things right before we ganked him."

"Like what?"

"Like… Char, can you tell me what happened to your parents?" Immediately, a pit formed in my stomach. I bit at my lip uncomfortably.

"They aren't around," I answered quietly.

"Char," Dean put a hand on my arm. "I know it's hard, but you can tell us."

"Why do I need to?" My voice cracked and my throat suddenly ached. I shrugged his arm off of my shoulder. "Why would you ask me to relive something like that?"

"It could help us with the Yellow-Eyed Demon."

"What happened to my parents was tragic and painful. But it had _nothing_ to do with the supernatural," I snapped. "Good night." I pulled the blankets up around my shoulders and turned away from him.

"Come on, Chardonnay, don't be like-"

" _Good night_." Dean sighed and he got up off the bed. Sam stepped out of the bathroom and looked from Dean to me. Still upset, I quickly shut my eyes after making eye contact with him. I heard the door open and then close and I peeked over my shoulder, seeing that the boys had gone outside.

To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. I was still shaken from my Sam/shifter attack, and I had been pushing away the memories of my parents for the better part of three years. Maybe I had overreacted a bit. Telling the story of my parents' death wouldn't cause an apocalypse. It wouldn't kill me-though it would cause a good amount of damage to my heart. I planned to apologize to Dean as soon as he and Sam came back. But minutes turned to an hour and soon, I was asleep.

Sam and Dean had ushered me into the car before I could even say "good morning."

"Couldn't you have waited for the sun to come up?" I grumbled sleepily. I threw my knotted hair into a ponytail before rubbing my eyes.

"No rest for the weary," Sam answered. I curled up in my spot in the backseat, wrapping my jacket tightly around my body. My knees were pulled up to my chest and I rested my head against the window. It was dark, but the dim lights around the motel illuminated Sam's and Dean's large bodies as they walked back and forth from the room to the car, packing our stuff. By the time everything was stuffed in either the trunk or next to me, I was already half asleep again. We hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot before I was out.

We hit a large bump and the impact of my head on the door jolted me awake.

"Ow!" I yelped, holding a hand up to my head. Sam and Dean were unable to control their laughing. "Ha ha, very funny." I sat up, quickly rubbing the sleep from my eyes and blinking against the bright sun.

"Where are we?" I yawned, stretching my arms out as much as I could in the small space I had.

"We're headed for South Dakota," Sam answered.

"What is it this time?"

"Nothing," Dean answered.

"You're kidding right? We just had a whole conversation about how you guys can't keep anything from me anymore! I deserve to know-"

Sam interrupted me. "Drew, he literally means nothing. We're just going to Bobby's."

 **Feedback of all kinds is greatly appreciated as always (just be nice!). Keep an eye out for more chapters and be patient with me! Thank you!**

 **xx TeamNoSleep**


	9. Chapter 9

**We're going to get pretty real in this chapter. It contains some material that can be very sensitive to people, so use caution when reading!**

Chapter 9

Bobby was nice enough. He obviously had a very close relationship with the boys. I guess no one told him I was coming along because he was very surprised to see Sam and Dean with a guest. Moreover, a guest who wasn't a hunter.

After a _very_ uncomfortable lecture about how dumb the boys were for dragging me along in this life and how dangerous it was for me to even be there, Bobby welcomed me to his home. I was warned to stay away from all weapons and not to touch anything. But at least he didn't outright throw me out. I don't think he really disliked me, but more disliked that I was tagging along with Sam and Dean. He probably figured I was just a girl trying to live with two cute boys and the boys were too dumb to see it. As if living on the road was totally my dream.

Sam and Dean showed me to the room I'd be staying in before promising me a trip to the bar. I didn't normally drink, but after the last few weeks I'd had, a drink sounded great.

I had a while to settle in, shower, and change my clothes. After I decided I was good and ready, I settled into the bed and waited for Dean or Sam to come get me.

By the time Dean finally knocked on my door, I was so comfy in bed that I almost decided to stay in. But I still wasn't entirely comfortable with Bobby, so I forced myself out of bed and followed Dean out to the Impala.

It was only a few short minutes to the bar. Sam and Dean made a beeline for the counter and I followed right behind them. I wasn't in the mood to drink like I thought I would be, so I ordered water and sat there silently sipping while Dean pointed out every "hot chick" in the bar.

After getting a few beers in them, Sam and Dean were both MIA, probably out trying to get some action. I sat and made small talk with the bartender for a while, but even he had to go tend to other customers.

"I'll take a beer and whatever this tall drink of water wants." A handsome man sat down next to me. He and the bartender both looked at me for a few minutes before I realized the "tall drink of water" was me. In my defense, that was so cheesy and kind of a turn off. But he was cute.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "Um, I'll take a glass of Pinot Noir please." I hoped I would seem a little classy. He was _really_ cute.

"I'm Tony," he flashed a dazzling smile at me and held out his hand. I shook it and told him my name.

"Drew. Is that short for something?" he asked.

"Afraid not. My mom _really_ wanted a boy." He laughed, which made me giggle.

"Do you come here often? I've never seen you before and I would remember a face like yours."

I blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "No, I'm actually from California."

"A California girl, huh? What brings you out to the good old state of South Dakota?"

 _Chasing monsters, what else?_ "Just visiting family."

"Must have been one hell of a family reunion if you're hanging out at a bar all alone." I laughed.

"Just need to unwind I guess."

"Well, if it helps at all, I'm real glad you're here." His voice deepened into a soft whisper as he leaned closer to me, placing his hand on my arm. The touch sent chills down my spine.

"I'm, uh, I'm gonna run to the restroom. I'll be right back," I stammered quickly as I clumsily got off the barstool.

"I'll be waiting right here." He winked at me and I quickly hid my face so he wouldn't see the blush creep up to my cheeks. I walked quickly to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror to fix my hair. I wished I'd worn some lipstick or mascara or _something_. I swiped on some cherry flavored chapstick because that was the best I had, smoothed my hair one more time, and headed back out to Tony.

"Sorry about that," I smiled at him when I took my seat.

"Welcome back," he smiled a cheeky grin. He slowly lifted his hand to brush back a strand of hair from my face. I bit my lip when he continued to hold my gaze long after my hair was pushed back.

"Um," I blushed and took a sip of my drink. "So are you from here?"

My head was pounding when I awoke. I was tucked into the bed back at Bobby's house. I couldn't remember what happened. Was last night a dream? Did I just dream of meeting such a handsome man?

Dean was fast asleep on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Dean?" my voice came out as a croak. Dean woke up with a start.

"Char!" he exclaimed. "How are you? Are you okay?" He rushed to my side, sitting down next to me and taking my hand in his.

"I'm… fine?" I asked slowly. "I don't really remember what happened last night."

"You don't remember? Anything?" I looked at him, eyebrows pressed together. I slowly pulled my hand out of Dean's and racked through my brain.

And suddenly, as if a dam had burst, memories came flooding back.

 _I could have sworn I'd only had a few sips of my drink. But still, I'd never been more drunk._

 _"You're cute," I giggled and sloppily tapped his nose. I hiccupped and giggled harder._

 _"I'm just lucky to have the attention of the sexiest girl here," Tony placed a hand on my upper thigh. He rubbed small circles in my thigh with his thumb; I bit my lip and smiled. I took another sip of my drink._

 _"And I just can't believe a beautiful girl like you is here all by yourself," he put his other hand on my other thigh._

 _"Well, I'm not_ all _by myself," I grinned._

 _"Where are your friends?" I looked around in a daze, unable to clearly process any of the faces I saw. I shrugged my shoulders._

 _"Beats me!" I hiccupped._

 _"Well, how about we go outside and get some air?"_

 _"Air sounds good," I nodded. "I feel a little funny."_

 _"How so?"_

 _I looked around before whispering loudly, "Don't tell anyone but I think I'm really drunk." Tony laughed and slid his hands up my thighs, stopping at my butt and lifting me out of my seat. As soon as my feet touched the floor, I wobbled and fell back into him._

 _"Oops!" I exclaimed. "Sorry!" Tony held me in his arms, smiling. He gently lifted my chin and placed a kiss on my lips. I hiccupped again and smiled at him._

 _"Are you able to walk outside with me?"_

 _"Of course!" I exclaimed. I took an uneasy step forward and stumbled._

 _"Alright, girl," Tony laughed and swooped me up in his arms. He carried me outside and led me around the corner to an alleyway. He set me down against the wall and started kissing me._

 _At first, he was slow and soft. His hands stayed on either side of my face. Then he got more aggressive. His lips pressed heavily against mine and his hands started wandering. It was innocent. His fingers trailed along my neck and my arms, sometimes tracing small circles on the small of my back. It sent chills down my spine._

 _He inched his way to the bottom of my shirt before shoving his hand up to my bra. I pulled away, pushing his hand away from me._

 _"No, no," I said. He smiled apologetically and kissed me softly again._

 _But this time he was much quicker with his aggression. Suddenly he was shoving his tongue down my throat and unbuttoning my pants._

 _"No, stop," I pushed his hands away._

 _"Come on," he whispered in my ear, fighting against my hands._

 _"Tony, no." He shoved me violently against the wall, where my head connected with the bricks with a loud crack. Then I was on the ground. Tony was on top of me, tongue down my throat. One hand was groping my breast and the other working on my pants._

 _A suddenly, his weight was lifted off of me._

 _"Do yourself a favor and get out of here," a deep voice hissed._

 _"Hey man, this is none of your business."_

 _"_ She _is my business. Get the hell out of here."_

 _"Man, who the hell do you think you are? She's mine so back off-" his sentence was cut short when the man punched him._

 _"She's a whore anyway," Tony hissed. And then he was gone._

 _"Char, are you okay?" Dean knelt down beside me. I looked at him, slowly sitting up, and sobbed. I hiccupped in between sobs, hugging my knees to my chest. I rocked gently on the sidewalk. Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't breathe._

 _Dean sat down next to me, wrapping me in his warm embrace. He placed a soft kiss on my temple and held me in the alleyway until I inevitably passed out._

"Dean?" I looked at him. My eyes filled with tears. I pulled my knees up to my chest as the tears spilled down my cheeks. Dean didn't say anything. He simply slipped under the covers with me and held me while I cried. He stroked my hair gently and I immediately felt safer with him.

"Monsters I get," Dean told me. "People are crazy."

"D-Did h-he-" I struggled to speak in between my sobs. "Did he drug me?"

"Shh, Char. You will never have to worry about him again, I promise."

"Dean," I cried. I gripped his shirt and buried my face in his chest. "Dean, did he do something to me?"

"I stopped him in time. I'm only sorry I didn't get there sooner."

"I tried to tell him to stop."

"I know, Char. I know you did." I continued to cry into Dean's chest.

"No one will ever hurt you again, Chardonnay. I promise you I'll never leave you again."

 **As always, reviews are very appreciated and I am always open to ideas/cases/etc. I hope you enjoyed! Keep an eye out for the next chapter!**

 **xx TeamNoSleep**


	10. Chapter 10

**Fun fact: I do 95% of my writing while sitting in class. Whoops. Thanks so much for all of your feedback, follows, and favorites. It means so so much. Enjoy!**

 **I only own Drew.**

Chapter 10

For the next week, Sam and Dean were very sympathetic and understanding of my lack of motivation. However, Sam was much more willing to sit in my room and watch cheesy movies all day. Dean, on the other hand, was much more into pigging out on ice cream. He still preferred pie and never let me forget it.

One day, we were in my room. Sam was lying next to me and Dean was sprawled across the foot of the bed. I had finally convinced them to watch _Titanic_ with me. We were all snacking on a big bowl of popcorn in the middle of the bed. Eventually, the bowl ran out and the boys got bored. Or at least, they _claimed_ they got bored. So they left me to finish the movie on my own.

As soon as the credits rolled, the two showed up at my door.

"Hey, Drew," Sam started. "So here's the thing... " They were itching to hunt. "We don't have to!"

"But we'd really like to." Sam tried to keep me from feeling guilty for keeping them cooped up at Bobby's house all week. Dean wasn't as good at it. But I knew I'd have to get up off my butt and return to the real world before too long. I agreed to pack up and get dressed so the three of us could get back on the road.

20 minutes later, I was standing at the front door, duffel bag in hand. I quickly swallowed two pain meds for my ribs before the boys greeted me with Bobby in tow.

"Now you boys be careful." Bobby saw us off. He placed his hand gently on mine and said, "Take care of her." I wasn't sure when his attitude about my presence changed but it sure made me feel better that he cared. The Winchesters each gave Bobby a quick hug. No tears, no goodbyes, no last words just in case. I guess it was good they weren't worried about never seeing each other again. We were on the road fairly quickly after that.

The drive was fairly uneventful. We were silent for the first few hours. Dean was busy rocking out to AC/DC, Sam was studying, and I spent most of the time just looking out the window in between sleeping.

Sam and Dean started arguing about something completely irrelevant when I interrupted them. "Will you teach me how to fight?" They were silent before Sam turned around to look at me.

"Really?" he asked. I nodded.

Yeah, I mean I figure things have tried to kill me enough times and I can't always rely on you guys to be there to save my butt. And besides, it can't hurt to know some basic skills I mean-" I stopped my tangent short when Dean started chuckling. Sam was looking at me with a big, excited grin.

"You're cute when you rant, Char." I blushed.

"Of course we'll train you, Drew!" Sam said eagerly. "Welcome to Team Winchester."

"Dude, really?" Dean looked at his brother.

"What?"  
"That was awful."

"What are you talking about? I thought it was cool."

"Sammy, come on."

We arrived in Boulder, Colorado late that night. I don't remember getting in. One minute I was in the care, and the next I was curled up in a bed in the motel room. I sleepily rolled out of bed when the clock read 2:45 AM. Sam was asleep on the bed next to mine and Dean was asleep on the bed next to me. As quietly as I could, I blindly grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste out of my duffel bag and walked into the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face. After I was good and ready for bed, I slipped back under the covers. Dean stirred slightly as I lay down but quickly settled. I was asleep within minutes.

In the morning, I was woken up by Sam. He was on his way out the door dressed in basketball shorts and a tank top.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he whispered.

"It's okay," I answered sleepily. "Are you going running?" He nodded. "Want some company?"

"I'd love it." I quickly got out of bed and grabbed my bag on the way to the bathroom. Again, I splashed cold water on my face to wake myself up and changed into a sports bra and shorts. I brushed my teeth and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I took a thin jacket and walked out to meet Sam.

"Sorry for taking so long," I apologized.

"Nah, don't worry," he answered.

We had gone for about a mile before we turned back. We stopped at a small coffee shop we had found about half a mile away from the motel and picked up some breakfast pastries and coffee. We walked the rest of the way back to the motel and Sam taught me about his childhood and upbringing in a hunter family. I'd always felt somehow closer to Dean but I felt that talk was a pivotal point in our relationship.

"I went to college to get out of the life," he shared. "But I'm beginning to think there is no escaping this life."

"I was going to go to college," I told him. "But after my parents died, I just kinda stopped caring. So I took that job at the diner."

"What did you want to do?"

"I was going to be a doctor. Or a lawyer. Maybe some hot shot accountant in New York. I don't know. I didn't really have it all planned out."

"I was this close to law school when Dean tracked me down. It was supposed to be one hunt. But when the Yellow-Eyed Demon killed my girlfriend, that was it."

"I can't imagine growing up hunting. My parents were so protective of me; they talked me out of every fear I had. My dad worked nights and they would tell me if he was out in the dark every night and still managed to come home in the morning, I had nothing to fear in the dark."

"When I told my dad I was scared of the monster in my closet, he handed me a .45." I laughed, but Sam's straight face told me he wasn't actually joking.

"Do you ever get scared still? Of the monster in your closet?"

Sam thought for a minute. "Definitely. There are so many things out there that we don't know anything about."

"Man. Gone are the days when I only had to worry about the trashy drunk guys harassing me at work."

He laughed. "I mean, that's why I'm so glad I have Dean. As much as I hated him for bringing me back into this life, we have each other. We don't have to deal with these monsters alone, you know? Dean practically raised me. Everything I am is because of him." We arrived back at the motel and Sam dug in his pocket for the key.

"You guys didn't turn out half bad for being raised by that guy," I smiled.

"But if you tell him I said any of this, I will not hesitate to end you," Sam grinned as he opened the door.

"Where the hell have you guys been?" Dean yelled as soon as the door opened.

"We were on a run!" I exclaimed defensively.

"Why didn't either of you answer your phones?"

"We left them here," Sam shrugged.

"Don't be stupid! You both know better than to leave without your phones. How am I supposed to know if you two get into trouble?!"

"We got you breakfast." I quickly tried to change the subject as Dean was visibly getting more and more upset. I offered him a cup of coffee and one of the breakfast pastries but he pushed my hands away and pulled me into a tight hug, holding my head gently against his shoulder.

"Um, Dean?" I asked. I won't lie, it felt really nice to be hugged so tightly. But Dean didn't seem like the type. Dean dropped his arms and coughed uncomfortably before taking the coffee and retreating to the desk. Sam stifled a laugh. I brushed off the interaction and sat down on the edge of my bed where my phone had been charging. Upon unlocking it, I found three texts and two missed calls from Dean. He had also left a very awkward, very sweet voicemail asking me to call him back so he knew we were safe. So Dean Winchester cares. Maybe he was the type. He was full of surprises.

"Hey pretty girl, hurry up and eat your breakfast. We're gonna start training today," Dean called over.

I ate the breakfast sandwich faster than I probably should have but soon, we were in the care. A few minutes later, we parked at the edge of a forest trail where we hiked off road until we found a clearing the boys decided was good enough.

"We're going to start with some hand-to-hand combat and go into shooting later," Sam told me.

"Char might not even need shooting lessons," Dean laughed. "All the monsters seem to prefer getting up close and personal to our girl." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Ever been in a fight before?" I shook my head. Sam held up his hands, palms facing me and instructed me to punch. I felt weird. I felt like a child. But I continued.

"Harder," Dean commanded. "Put more muscle behind it." I did as I was instructed until a bead of sweat formed on my temple.

"Okay, stop," Sam said as Dean tossed me a water bottle. "You're doing really well. Now, I want you to kick me."

"What?"

"Kick me. Most of your muscle is in your legs. If we get you to kick right, you're gonna do a lot of damage."

"Okay," I hesitated. "Where...where am I supposed to kick you?"

"Just kick me."

"But…"

"Char, monsters aren't going tell you where to kick them," Dean said.

"Well, yeah but.."

"Alright, change of plans, darling. You and I are gonna spar."

"Wait but I haven't-" Dean pushed my shoulders.

"Dean stop, I haven't done kicking yet." Dean shoved me again and again.

"Okay!" I exclaimed. I paused and looked at him. "Maybe you should punch me."

"That's what sparring is, Char."

"No, I mean I've never been hit before. Maybe you should hit me now so it doesn't come as such a shock."

"I mean, if that's what you want." I nodded.

"Punch me. Don't hold back." I quickly squeezed my eyes shut, mentally beating myself up for even suggesting they teach me how to fight.

Dean delivered a blow to my stomach. It was enough to knock the wind out of me and it took all I had to stay standing.

"I thought I told you not to hold back," I whimpered.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Dean winked.

"Alright how about we take a break from combat and move to shooting?" Sam suggested. I nodded. Dean jogged back to the Impala to get the guns and beer cans while Sam stayed back with me as I recovered from the bit.

"You good?" he asked. I nodded.

"Something tells me that wasn't nearly how hard Dean actually hits."

"Like he would ever purposely hurt you," Sam laughed.

"Train me more."

"What?"

"No sparring. Do what you did before." Sam slowly lifted his palms for me to use as targets and I went for it. I punched and kicked as hard as I could. Sam couldn't help but smile.

"There's the fire we need!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm going to start hitting back. Focus on dodging or blocking and attack where you see a chance." He started off slow, making it obvious which arm he was using and where he was aiming. I dodged and kicked up a leg as I moved.

Eventually, we hit a groove and I was excited. I felt like I was finally starting to get the hang of it. I was going to earn my place with the Winchesters.

"Okay, stop," I told Sam. He was smiling widely at me. I took a seat where I stood to catch my breath.

"Drew, you did amazing!" Sam smiled at me as he sat down next to me.

"Thanks," I smiled breathlessly. Suddenly, a plastic water bottle nailed me in the shoulder.

"Ow!" I exclaimed.

"We'll work on reflexes next time," Dean laughed. "Come on, I'm going to show you the basics of shooting." Dean gestured to a row of four beer bottles he had set up. He quickly walked me through the basics-the safety, trigger, salt bullets. "Okay, now I want you to aim for one of those bottles. Don't worry if you can't hit one yet." I held up the gun and aimed.

"So you mean, I just pull this?" I asked. Dean nodded. I aimed again, consciously aware of the boys watching my every move. And then I fired. I fire four times, shattering each bottle.

"Um, Drew?" Sam asked, eyes wide with shock. "What the hell?"

"I may have neglected to mention I know how to shoot."

"Yeah, you think? How the hell are you so good? I mean, you hit every single one of those bottles on the first try."

"My dad used to enter me in shooting competitions," I told him. "I was kinda good."

"How good are we talking?" Dean asked.

"I only got second like twice. I was kind of like a reigning gold medalist."

"Oh my god," Dean looked at me. "You mean to tell me we've been saving your ass all this time when all we needed to do was hand you a gun?"

I blushed. "But then I wouldn't have my knights in shining armor."

"Well, would you believe it, Dean? Our little Drew is a badass." Sam clapped a hand on Dean's shoulder.

"God, Chardonnay. The greatest badass damsel in distress I've ever met."

 **As always, feedback and case ideas are always appreciated! Favorite and follow to get notified when I post new chapters! Much love xx until next time.**

 **TeamNoSleep**


	11. Chapter 11

**I only own Drew.**

Chapter 11

The next morning, Sam and Dean left early. They had gotten a lead on their father and left me behind. I was bitter at first. They knew I could shoot. I could kind of fight. I should have gone with them.

But I came to my senses. The whole purpose of their mission was to find their father and then kill the Yellow-Eyed Demon. And they were so close to finding their father; who was I to interfere? They told me it would be better if they broke the news to their father alone. The news being me, the random girl they picked up in California.

The boys were gone for the better part of three days. Sam and Dean texted me every night at the very least to let me know they were okay. Sometimes they would text me multiple times throughout the day. It was nice. It kept me from feeling so lonely.

I spent most of my days exercising. I went for an hour-long jog every morning and every night. I did push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and any exercise I could think of throughout the day. I figured if I was going to hunt, I would need to be in good shape. And it was nice not having the boys around when I first started working out again. I wasn't in nearly as good of shape as I thought I was.

Sam and Dean were on a vampire case. Their dad's mentor was killed. They were thrilled to be working with their dad again. Though occasionally I would get a text about how frustrating their dad was to work with again. Sam ranted more than Dean did. He and his dad hadn't left off on good terms last they saw each other, and it was causing a lot of tension between them.

Still, it was cute how excited two grown men were to be working with their dad. Even if it was to kill a bunch of monsters. But I couldn't help but think how grateful I was to not have to deal with vampires again. I hadn't encountered one since I was abducted and I was planning on avoiding them for as long as I could.

I was terrified for them, though. Days after I had been abducted, they told me the ones that abducted me were the last of their kind. Their father told them vampires no longer existed and they believed them. But upon finding even more, I was afraid for how many vampires were truly out there. I trusted Sam and Dean. They were strong, capable hunters. But I worried for my boys.

The familiar hum of Baby's engine woke me up late one night. I excitedly threw off the covers and walked out in the cold to meet them, ignoring the fact I was dressed in a pair of red polka dot cotton shorts and a tight tank that rose up on my stomach.

Dean and Sam smiled when they saw me. Dean hadn't even turned off the car before he was out the door and enveloping me in a tight hug. I giggled as he picked me up and spun me around. I quickly turned to Sam, hugging him tightly when Dean went back to turn off the car.

"I'm so glad you're home," I told Sam, burying my face in his familiar musky scent.

"We missed you, Drew."

"You've got to me kidding me." A deep voice belonging to a man that must have been their father groaned from behind me.

"Dad," Sam's jaw clenched. "This is Drew."

" _This_ is Drew? This is the Drew you've been hunting with?" Their father, John's face twisted in anger. I didn't answer. I knew better.

"Give her a chance, Dad," Dean started.

" _This_ is not a hunter, Dean! This is a piece of ass you two have been hauling around for your own pleasure!" His words stung.

Sam pulled me protectively behind him. Dean stood next to his brother, both trying to block me from their father's wrath.

"She is not a piece of ass, Dad. I can't believe you'd say that!" Dean exclaimed.

"You didn't have a problem with her being with us before!" Sam yelled.

"That was when I thought 'Drew' was a boy! A strong, capable, well-trained _man_." I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms. I was fuming at how sexist his comment was.

"I mean, what the hell were you boys thinking? Dragging her along with you!? You could have gotten her killed!"

"Dad, that's not-"

"Or worse? She could have gotten you killed." I didn't realized I had taken a hold of the sleeves of Sam's and Dean's shirts until Dean took a step forward, forcing me to let go.

"She didn't ask to be a hunter. This wasn't exactly her lifelong dream," he hissed. "But I'll be damned if she ain't good at what she does."

"And what _exactly_ does she do?" The boys' dad lifted an eyebrow. My jaw dropped. Did he think…?

"Get your head out of the damn gutter, Dad," Sam hissed. His dad huffed, rolled his eyes, and walked away.

"Dean…" I turned to him. His jaw was tight and his fists were clenched.

"Sam…" I turned back to Sam, who had already gone after his father.

Dean watched his brother chase after his hero, who had turned his back on them.

"Dean… Thank you." I put my hand on his arm; his muscles relaxed.

"Don't sweat it, Char." He brushed off the whole encounter as if it was nothing. He looked at me, smiled, and then walked away, leaving me along in the middle of a motel parking lot in the dead of night. I shivered against the cold and rubbed my goose bump covered arms. I sighed deeply and retreated to my motel room. Sam and Dean had told me earlier the three of them would be in a different room than me. After that encounter, I knew that was best. I didn't want to disturb them again. Not tonight.

I laid awake for hours that night, listening to the Winchesters arguing. About the hunt, about the Yellow Eyed Demon, about me. I hated that my mere presence alone was causing so much trouble for them. I couldn't blame John. I didn't belong there. I knew the boys knew that. But I was doing everything I could to earn my place.

Hours passed before I finally fell asleep. But only a few hours more passed before I was awake again. I was still plagued with thoughts and my stomach twisted at the guilt I felt once again for asking to stay with Sam and Dean all those months ago. I decided to go for a run to clear my head. I changed into a pair of leggings and a fresh tank top, tying a jacket around my waist. I used the motel notepad to write a note for the boys. " _Gone for a run,_ " it read. " _I have my phone if you need me."_ I signed it and slipped it under their door, figuring they were still asleep. Baby sat peacefully in the parking lot. I smiled as I jogged past her. She was a beauty. And through all of it, she was one of the very few constants in my life recently.

It was close to an hour later when I finally returned. Baby was gone. My room had been busted into, the door hanging by a hinge. My blood ran cold.

I sprinted to the Winchesters' door, screaming for them.

"Sam!" I slammed my fist against their door. "Dean! Open the door!" Fear coursed through my veins. Had they left me behind? No one answered. I pulled out my phone. No texts or missed calls. I called Sam. Then I called Dean. Then Sam again and Dean again. Suddenly, fear was replaced by anger.

I angrily shoved my phone into my jacket pocket. Carefully, I made my way to my room. I peeked through the gap in the doorway before slowly pushing the door open. My heart was pounding, adrenaline coursing through my veins. No one was there. Still on edge, I checked for the gun I had stashed next to my bed. I let out a sigh of relief when I found it still there. Nothing appeared to be missing.

I heard a footstep behind me. Without skipping a beat, I spun around, gun pointed at whoever was behind me.

"Whoa, cool it, Char," Dean said, holding his hands up.

"What the hell Dean?" I kept the gun aimed at him.

"Will you put that thing down?"

"Why the hell did you leave me?"

"We went to get breakfast," he said slowly, taking a step toward me.

"Don't lie to me, Dean."

"We got a lead. We couldn't wait for you to come back." I lowered the gun.

"You didn't think to tell me? At least I had the decency to leave y'all a note." Dean was silent.

I gestured to the room around me. "Someone broke into my room," I said monotonously as I set myself down on the bed.

"I see that. Are you okay?" I shrugged. Dean sat down next to me, brushing a strand of hair from my face. I looked at him as he searched my face, as if the answers to the greatest questions in the universe were written there somewhere. I put my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I freaked out at you."

Dean chuckled. "It's okay, Char."

"I'm sorry I caused so much trouble last night."

"There was no trouble. I don't know what you're talking about."

"I heard you guys arguing all night." Dean was silent. He turned his face to place a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

"There was no trouble," he repeated.

 **As always, reviews are super appreciated. Follow/favorite to get notified when I update! Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow back so soon? That's right. I'm back with ANOTHER chapter already!**

 **So here's the deal. I'm trying something a little different with the next three chapters. I have taken actual episodes from Supernatural and inserted Drew into them. This means there are direct quotes and scenes taken directly from the episodes. I simply took an episode and added my own twist and a few of my own scenes to it.**

 **This is Season 1, Episode 21 "Salvation."**

 **Again, I do not own the dialogue taken from the episodes** **or any characters except for Drew.**

Chapter 12

We were on our way to Salvation, Iowa. John drove in his truck and Sam, Dean, and myself followed behind him in Baby. The three were so determined. They were close to the Yellow-Eyed Demon. They were close to ending it.

We had barely driven past the big "Welcome to Salvation, Iowa" sign when John pulled off on the side of the road.

"Damn it," John said when he got out of the car. The three of us stepped out of the car.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"Son of a bitch." John hit the side of his truck.

"What is it?" Dean asked again.

"I just got a call from Caleb."

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Jim Murphy's dead."

"Pastor Jim? How?" Sam asked. My heart ached at the thought of the boys losing another friend.

"Throat was slashed. Bled to death." I let out a soft gasp as my hands flew to my face. John was even more determined than before.

The plan was to split up. We were to cover two hospitals and a health center in the counter to find a list of every infant that would turn 6 months old in the next week. I wondered if the boys knew I had no idea why we needed the list. At this point, I was afraid to ask. I didn't know these specific babies would have to do with the Yellow-Eyed Demon.

John was grieving. He and Jim had clearly been close. My heart ached for him. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to tell him I was sorry and we would do everything we could so his friend wouldn't die in vain. But I couldn't.

I partnered up with Dean to visit a hospital. He pulled out his fake FBI badge and tucked it into his jacket. I didn't have an undercover alias. I was supposed to just go in and hang out. Pretend I was waiting for a friend or something like that. I wanted to do more. Dean knew that. Sam knew that. But they were nothing if not protective of me. So I went inside with Dean, keeping a far enough distance so as to not associate myself with him, but close enough to still hear what he was saying.

An attractive woman with dark hair and blue eyes stood at the reception desk. She smiled at Dean and caught his eye.

"Hi, is there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

"Oh, God, yes," Dean told her. She giggled. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Dean definitely heard me.

"Only I, uh, I'm working right now so…" She looked at his FBI badge and stood up straighter.

"What can I do for you?" I wandered away at that point. I wasn't really in the business of listening to Dean flirt with women.

We left an hour and a half later. My arms were crossed tightly across my body as we walked through the parking lot looking for Baby.

"Why are you so quiet all of the sudden?"

"I'm not," I answered.

"You are."

"How was your encounter with your new girlfriend?" I hissed. I immediately regretted the words as soon as I said them. I tried to stop myself but it was like word vomit.

Dean paused for a moment before his jaw dropped.

"Chardonnay! You're jealous!"

"Am not!" Dean gripped my arm, stopping me in my tracks. He pulled me close to him, his face inches from mine. My breath caught in my throat.

"You mean… this doesn't make your heart skip a beat?" His face inched closer to mine. My heart was racing, my knees were weak. At that moment, I'd never hated Dean Winchester more in my life, simply for the way he suddenly made me feel.

My lips parted slightly as he kept coming closer. He held one hand on the small of my back, pulling my close to him. The other brushed my hair aside, stopping to hold the base of my head.

"You _really_ weren't jealous for even a second?" Dean whispered, his lips so close I could have kissed him. His breath was hot against my lips.

And then I snapped back to reality.

"Screw you." I shoved away from him, stalking towards Baby. Dean started laughing as he followed behind me. My cheeks were hot. I couldn't believe Dean Winchester had had that effect on me. I knew better than that.

We gathered back at the motel room to talk about what we had discovered. Sam started to say something, but paused at looked at Dean and then at me. The room fell silent as everyone looked at me, then each other, then back at me. I took that as a cue to leave.

"Is it cool if I go get some air?" I asked. Dean nodded and I left. I wandered around the parking lot for a while before sitting down on the curb. A few minutes passed by and I decided to go back in.

Sam was on the phone. "That was a 7-story drop." What? He paused and looked at John. "My dad. I don't know where my dad is." He paused again, listening to whoever was on the other end. John held his hand out and Sam reluctantly handed the phone over. I stood next to Dean, who gave me a small smile before looking back at his father.

"This is John." He walked away from us so we couldn't see his face.

"Caleb?" He asked suddenly. Dean and Sam perked up, eyes wide. John's jaw tightened. Suddenly, his eyes went wide.

"Caleb? Caleb!" Dean looked away. Sam's face fell. I held my hand over my mouth. That could only mean one thing. Another of their friends had fallen.

"I said okay," John said. "I'll bring the colt." What the hell is a colt? Sam and Dean were focused on John's every word and movement.

"So you think Meg is a demon?" Sam asked. Who is Meg? How much have these boys really been keeping from me?

"Either that or she's possessed by one." I wasn't sure if I should be afraid or angry. I thought I knew a lot about the boys. Clearly, that wasn't the case. I was still living among strangers, even after all this time.

"What do we do?" Dean asked. It was weird hearing him ask that so many times. Usually he was the one calling the shots.

"I'm going to Lincoln." The boys' eyes widened. "It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people are going to die. Our friends die"

"Dad, the demon is coming for Monica and her baby tonight! We need that gun. You can't just hand it over."

"Wait, _the_ demon? As in Mr. Yellow Eyes that we've been after this whole time?" I asked.

"Who said anything about handing it over?" John answered Sam. No one bothered to acknowledge that I'd asked a question. "Besides us and a couple of vampires, no one's really seen the gun."

"Guys, what's going on?" Again, no one answered. I sighed, realizing I was of no use there, and slipped back outside.

It felt like ages before Dean found me outside.

"Hey, where'd you run off to?" he asked, sitting down next to me. I shrugged, not looking at him.

"I figured I was of better use out here."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dean, I have no idea what's going on. Meg, the Colt, Monica, nothing."

"I guess that's kind of our fault, huh."

"I mean, it's fine. I just didn't want to be in the way." Dean wrapped his arm around me.

"You're never in the way. I promise, as soon as this is all over, I'll tell you everything."

"When will it be over, Dean?" I asked. "Will it ever be over?"

Dean was silent. "It will be over soon. I promise." Sam and John left a few minutes after in John's truck. Dean and I stayed behind for reasons I still didn't know.

And then we were in Dean's car. We stopped in some back road.

"Stay here." Dean left, holding something in a crumpled paper bag. John and Sam were waiting at John's truck. The three of them talked. They seemed sad. They looked like they were saying their goodbyes. And I was afraid. I was afraid the boys would lose their father. I was afraid another friend would die. I was afraid of the vampires and the Yellow-Eyed Demon who had killed their mother so long ago. And I was afraid I was going to lose Sam. And I was afraid I was going to lose Dean.

Then John got in his car and drove away. Sam and Dean stood there, watching his car disappear into the distance. They stayed there for a while after he was gone. Both were silent when they finally got back in the car. I climbed into the back seat and watched Sam and Dean as we drove away. Their faces were emotionless.

" _Oh boy,"_ I thought.

 **Don't forget to review and favorite/follow so you get notified when I update. Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm going to upload two chapters today, just to finish off the episode I put Drew into. Enjoy the two in one :)** **I have taken actual episodes from Supernatural and inserted Drew into them. This means there are direct quotes and scenes taken directly from the episodes. I simply took an episode and added my own twist and a few of my own scenes to it.**

 **This is Season 1, Episode 21 "Salvation."**

 **Again, I do not own the dialogue taken from the episodes** **or any characters except for Drew.**

Chapter 13

Sam, Dean, and I returned to the motel room in silence. Even after we got there, they were silent as they prepped for the battle ahead of us. I sat at the table watching them, wishing they would say something. Anything.

Dean was the first to leave. Sam hung back for a few seconds and I jumped at my opportunity.

"Sam?" I asked. Sam's head hung and he didn't look at me. But he stopped moving.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" He was silent.

"When it's all over, Drew." And he was out the door. I sat quietly in the backseat, afraid that if I were to say anything, it would disrupt the zone the boys were in. The radio wasn't even on.

We pulled to a stop in a neighborhood. The boys sat silently, looking at a house across the street. I didn't know why the house was so important.

"Maybe we can tell them there's a gas leak," Sam broke the silence. "Might get them out of the house for a few hours."

"Yeah, and how many times has that actually worked for us?" Dean looked at him.

"Could always tell them the truth." Both boys looked at each other before simultaneously saying "Nah."

"No I know, I know. I just… With what's coming for these people."

"Sam, we only got one move, you know that. We got to wait for that demon to show itself, and then we get it before it gets them."

"What demon?" I asked from the backseat. There was no answer. "Guys, what demon?"

The boys continued on with their conversation, wishing they were with their dad or their dad was with them. What was their dad doing?

"I'd feel a lot better if he was here backing us up," Sam said. My heart sank.

" _I'm here backing you up,"_ I thought. But I knew my words would have no meaning. I wasn't nearly as experienced as their father was. I wasn't a trained hunter. I was just a girl who shot soup cans all her life.

Still, the boys talked. I didn't want to interrupt them anymore. It was just nice to hear their voices after so long of silence.

"Dean, I want to thank you. You've always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone, I could always count on you. And I just uh, I just wanted to let you know. Just in case." My heart sank. Just in case?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you kidding me? Don't say just in case something happens to you. I don't wanna hear that freakin' speech man. Nobody's dying tonight. Not us, not that family, nobody. Except that demon."

"Don't say things like that, Sam," I whispered silently. Sam met my eyes through the rearview mirror.

It felt like ages passed when the lights in the house finally went out. Lights were flickering, the wind was blowing.

"It's coming," Sam said. The boys were out of the car in less than a second.

"Guys?" My heart was racing. "Guys!"

"Drew, you need to stay in the car!" Sam exclaimed.

"Like hell!" I exclaimed. "I'm not staying back anywhere!"

"Drew, stay in the car!" Dean yelled. I stopped in my tracks. In all the time I'd known Dean, he'd never once said my name. I bit my lip angrily.

"Fine." I sat back down in the backseat of the car. Hot, angry tears slid down my cheeks. The house burst into flames. I cupped my hands in front of my face, praying they would come out.

A man and a woman ran out, followed by Sam and Dean. The man and woman hugged each other, cradling their baby in their arms. Sam and Dean were yelling. Sam kept trying to run back inside.

"Don't do it, Sam," I whispered.

Sam was fuming when he got back to the car. They were silent again, driving back to the motel.

And then they were yelling again. Sam wanted to go back into the house. Sam wanted to kill whoever was in there. I sat curled up on the bed, pushed as far back against the wall as I could. I'd never seen Sam so angry.

"If you had just let me go in there, I could have ended all this."

"Sam, the only thing you would have ended was your life."

"You don't know that."

"So what, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself, is that it?"

"Yeah you're damn right I am."

"Yeah well that's not happening."

"What the hell are you talking about dean? We've been searching for this demon our whole lives." And that's when I realized.

"Wait, the Yellow-Eyed Demon was in there? _That's_ who you guys were after?!" Granted I should have figured it out earlier. But I was too distracted by their silence towards me to put the pieces together. They ignored me again.

"It's the only thing we've ever cared about!"

"Sam, I want to waste it. I do. But it's not worth dying over." Tears slid down my cheeks again. This wasn't just any demon hunt. This was _the_ Yellow-Eyed Demon. And Sam was ready to die.

"What?"

"I mean it! If hunting this demon means getting yourself killed, then I hope we never find the damn thing."

"That thing killed Jess." Sam was fuming. "That thing killed mom."

"You said yourself once. That no matter what we do, they're gone. And they're never coming back." Sam threw Dean against the wall.

"Sam!" I shrieked.

"Don't you say that!" Sam yelled.

"Sam, please!" I jumped off the bed, running to the boys. I pulled desperately at Sam's arms, trying to get them away from Dean's throat. It made no difference.

"Please, Sam!" I cried again. It was like I wasn't even there.

"The three of us-that's all we have. It's all I have," Dean said. "And I'm barely holding it together man. Without you and Dad…" Sam let go of Dean.

My heart shattered. As Sam and Dean continued on with their conversation, trying to reach their father, I slipped back outside.

My boys… The boys I had come to care for so much. The boys who saved my life on numerous occasions. My heroes. My saviors. They were broken. They were broken men who were ready to die. They had each other. They had their father. That's what mattered.

But still, my heart ached. I hated myself for being so selfish. I wanted them to believe they had me as well. Hearing Dean say Sam and their father was all he had was enough to shatter my heart. I sat on the curb next to where Baby rested peacefully.

For the third time that night, I cried. I cried for Sam. I cried for Dean. I cried for their father. I cried for their mother. I cried for Jess. I cried for me. Sam and Dean stormed out and I quickly straightened up, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"We're leaving," Sam told me. I stood up quickly and got into the car.

We went to Bobby's. By that point, I knew better than to get in the way. So I sat in the room I had stayed in all that time ago.

I wanted more than anything to help. I wanted to feel like I was part of the team. More than that, I wanted them to think I was part of the team.

A loud crash sounded. I jumped off the bed and crept around the corner to where the boys were.

A petite lady in a red leather jacket and a blonde pixie cut rambled on about wanting the real colt.

"Did you really think I couldn't find you?" she spat.

"Actually, we were counting on it," Dean told her in a husky voice. She looked up to the ceiling, where a demon trap was painted.

They tied her to a chair. They started questioning her about the whereabouts of their father. She was good at avoiding the question. She was taunting them, and they were getting mad.

"Where is he?!" Dean yelled.

"He died screaming," she hissed. "I killed him myself." My hand flew to my mouth as I let out a gasp.

"No," I whispered. I stood against the wall, out of sight. Whatever they were doing, I didn't want to be in the way. Something told me it was about to get ugly.

I heard a sound like a fist hitting flesh and the girl let out a yelp.

"That's kind of a turn-on. You hitting a girl." I cringed.

"You're no girl," Dean hissed.

Bobby pulled Sam and Dean aside. As it turned out, the girl was possessed by a demon. There was an innocent girl trapped in there, under the attitude of a ruthless demon.

They started the exorcism. She tried to threaten them, but they weren't having it. I poked my head around the corner, watching as she convulsed and screamed.

There was a girl in there somewhere. An innocent girl who had been possessed by a demon and her body was forced to do horrible things.

She finally confessed. John wasn't dead. He was in a building in Jefferson City.

"Finish it," Dean told Sam. Her eyes widened. They were going to finish the exorcism.

"We could still use her," Sam said.

"There is an innocent girl trapped in there," Dean said. "We need to save her."

"You're going to kill her," Bobby said. "You said she fell from a building. That girl's body is broken. The demon inside her is the only thing keeping her alive. You exorcise it, the girl is gonna die." I prayed for the girl trapped in there. I prayed for her soul.

Dean continued to tell Sam to finish the exorcism. They were going to kill this girl. I ran out. I couldn't stand to be there a second longer.

I heard her screaming from outside. I sat down, my head between my knees.

"Lord, please save her soul," I whispered shakily. That girl was dead. Dean let her die. I didn't know who those boys were in there. But it wasn't Sam and Dean.

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 **TeamNoSleep**


	14. Chapter 14

**Woooooooh last chapter of the episode. Enjoy !**

 **I have taken actual episodes from Supernatural and inserted Drew into them. This means there are direct quotes and scenes taken directly from the episodes. I simply took an episode and added my own twist and a few of my own scenes to it.**

 **This is Season 1, Episode 21 "Salvation."**

 **I do not own any content from the episodes. I only own Drew.**

Chapter 14

Bobby's Rottweiler had managed to get off his chain and came running towards me. He was whimpering as he approached me. I held out my hand for him to sniff it before petting him. He spun in circles a few times before laying down, resting his head on my leg.

I sat there for hours, petting him. The sound of the girl's screams played in my head over and over like a broken record.

"Char?" Dean's voice called. I didn't answer. "Char? Chardonnay, where are you?"

Then he was behind me. "Damn it, Char. Where the hell have you been?"

"Here," I answered, not looking at him. Bobby's dog let out a sigh as Dean sat down next to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"That girl died," I told him monotonously.

"She was possessed by a demon."

"Sam and Bobby told you she would die. And you let her." Dean sighed.

"Sometimes we have to make really tough decisions," he answered. I was silent, but I could feel Dean's eyes on me.

"Are you still with us?" he asked me after a few moments. "Are you still with me?" Slowly, I raised my head to look at him. His eyes were sad.

"What?"

"Are you still with us? We need you, Char."

"You don't need me."

" _You haven't needed me in a long time_ ," I thought miserably.

"Are you with me?" he asked again. "I need you. Now more than ever." I bit my lip, and then nodded.

"I'm with you," I told him. Dean's eyes softened and he smiled slightly.

"Let's go." He stood up, holding his hand out to help me up. "It's show time." Bobby's dog whined when I stood up and watched us walk away.

Sam was already in the car. I took my place in the backseat.

"You ready, Drew?" he asked me.

"I'm ready." We drove a while before pulling off in an abandoned lot. I leaned against the car as Sam studied a book and Dean prepped the guns. We were all quiet.

Sam wiped away the dust from the trunk and started drawing on it. Dean wasn't silent anymore.

"Dude, what are you doing to my car?!" I stifled a laugh. He was charming the trunk to keep the colt safe when we went to save their dad.

"What are you talking about? We're bringing the colt with us."

"We can't, Dean. We only have three bullets left. We can't just use them on any demon. We have to use it on _the_ demon."

"We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Dean, he wouldn't want us to bring it." And then they were fighting again.

"Will you guys knock it off?" I exclaimed.

"You know, you and Dad are a lot alike. You both can't wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing. But you know what? I'm gonna be the one to bury you."

"Stop it!"  
"You're selfish," Dean continued.

"That colt is our only leverage, you know that, Dean. We cannot use that colt."

"Fine."

"Dean-"

"I said fine, Sam!"

"Am I invisible?!" I exclaimed. Dean looked at me and I rolled my eyes at him.

Sam and Dean had their bags packed within a few minutes after that.

"Okay, what's the plan?" I asked, propping myself up on the hood of the car.

"The plan, dear Chardonnay, is Sam and I are going to go kill some sons of bitches."

"And me?"

"And you are going to stay here and watching Baby."

"Seriously? I'm on car duty again?"

"Someone needs to make sure the colt stays safe," Sam told me. I huffed and folded my arms angrily.

"Fine," I answered. They started to leave. Before I realized when I was doing, I ran after them.

"Drew, what are you doing?" Sam asked. I looked at him before throwing my arms around him.

"Be safe, Sam." He hugged me back.

"I will." I turned to Dean. He gave me a small smile before hugging me.

"Come back to me," I said. Dean pulled away, cupping my face in his hands. He planted a gentle kiss on my forehead, his lips lingering for a second.

He didn't say anything after that. The boys gave me one last smile and walked away.

Later that night…

The boys managed to retrieve their father. As it turns out, that wasn't the final battle like I'd thought it was. Their father was alive. Beaten, bruised, and in bad shape. But alive.

We found a small abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere so their dad could heal.

While Sam and Dean talked, I cared for John. I wiped the blood away from his face with a damp washcloth, keeping his face cool.

He slowly woke up, looking at me.

"Hi," I smiled at him.

"Thank you," he told me. My heart swelled. This was the man who was furious with the boys for dragging me along. Now he was thanking me? What a day.

I helped John to his feet and led him to where his boys were.

"You know that guy I shot?" Dean was talking to Sam. "There was a person in there."

"You didn't have a choice, Dean."

"I know. That's not what bothers me." His eyes were fixed on the floor.

"Then what does?"

"Killing that guy, killing Meg. I didn't hesitate. I didn't even flinch. For you or Dad, the things I'm willing to do, to kill. It's just… It scares me sometimes."

"It shouldn't," John told his son. I walked out from behind John to sit next to Dean.

"You aren't a monster, Dean." I put my hand on his shoulder and he looked at me, the corners of his mouth twisting up into a small, crooked smile.

"You did good," John said.

"You're not mad?" Dean asked.

"For what?"

"For using a bullet."

"Mad? I'm proud of you. You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed. But you.. You watch out for this family. You always have." I was so proud of Dean. And it was obvious their father was too. In that moment, I wasn't sure why they complained about working with their dad when they first met back up. He seemed great.

The lights flickered and the three men ran to the window.

"It found us. It's here," John said.

"The Demon?" Sam asked. The demon? Here? How?

"Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door."

"Already did it."

"Well, check it, okay?" Sam left in a hurry. I followed after Sam to help check the salt lines. I ran through the opposite door to where I had been tending to John's wounds. The salt lines were solid and secure. I started to head back to Dean.

"Dean, you got the gun?"

"Yeah."

"Give it to me."

"Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation. It vanished."

"This is me. I won't miss. Now the gun. Hurry." Dean reached for the gun before hesitating. I watched from around the corner.

"Dean," I whispered. He looked down at the gun.

"Son, please." Dean slowly backed away. "Give me the gun! What are you doing, Dean?"

"He would be furious."

"What?"

"That I wasted a bullet. He wouldn't be proud of me; he'd tear me a new one." My eyes widened. Dean held the gun up to his father's head. "You're not my dad."

"Give it to me."

"I know my dad better than anyone. You ain't him."

"What the hell's gotten into you?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Sam ran back in, yelling at Dean for holding a gun to his father's head.

Sam was torn between his father and Dean. Dean convinced their father was possessed; John telling him Dean's lost it. Sam sided with Dean.

"Fine. You're both so sure? Go ahead. Kill me."

"Dean," I whispered again. My fists were clenched; my nails dug into the flesh of my palms. Dean hesitated.

John looked up at us, his eyes bright yellow. "I thought so." With just a look, he threw the two against the wall. I gasped before quickly hiding behind the door. The gun flew from Dean's hand. Yellow-Eyed John knelt down to pick up the gun.

As Sam threatened him, John put the gun down on the table.

"Go ahead. Make it float to you, psychic boy."

"What?" I muttered to myself, watching through the crack in the doorway. Sam and Dean fought against the invisible force nailing them to the wall.

"Your dad's still here," Yellow-Eyed John turned to Dean. "He's gonna taste the iron of your blood."

"Let him go, I swear to God," Dean hissed.

"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice." Sam and Dean had exorcised his children. He was furious for them having killed his family.

"How would you feel if I killed your family?" Dean's jaw clenched.

"Oh, that's right. I already did. But still, two wrongs don't make a right." Sam kept him distracted, demanding answers as to why their mother and Jess had to die.

I tiptoed behind him. I felt like every step sounding like a stampede, but Yellow-Eyed John never noticed.

"Sam. He's clearly John's favorite. Even though they fight, it's more concern than he's ever shown you."

"I bet you're real proud of your kids too," Dean spat. "Oh wait, I forgot. I wasted 'em." Suddenly, Dean was screaming in pain. Blood was seeping through his shirt.

"Dad! Don't you let it kill me!" Dean exclaimed.

"Dean!" Sam screamed.

"Dad, please," Dean croaked. His head fell limp. I picked up the colt, aiming it at John's head.

John turned to face me. He smirked.

"I forgot about you," he grinned wickedly.

I was breathing heavily, the gun trained on the spot between his eyebrows. He took a step toward me.

"Don't!" I yelled. "Don't take another step." He didn't seem alarmed, but he held his hands up.

"Let them go," I hissed. With a wave of his hand, Sam and Dean came crashing to the ground. Dean crumpled in a heap. Tears filled my eyes.

"Take the shot, Drew," Sam told me as he knelt down next to Dean.

My breathing was heavier and more rapid. Yellow-Eyed John laughed.

"Go ahead, Drew. Shoot me."

"I'll do it," I told him, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

"Drew! Take the shot!" Sam yelled.

"Oh, but you won't. Will you, Drew?" Yellow-Eyed John cocked his head to the side. I didn't answer. I held his gaze as my jaw clenched.

"You shoot beer cans. You don't shoot people. You aren't a murderer," he told me.

"You aren't a human," I hissed. Yellow-Eyed John's smile fell. He looked at me seriously.

"You shoot me, you shoot their daddy."

I inhaled deeply. "I know." I shot him in the leg. Yellow-Eyed John fell to the ground, twitching wildly. I dropped the gun next to me, falling to my knees. Sam quickly ran to me, picking up the gun. He stood over his father's body.

"It's still in me!" John yelled. "I can feel it." John begged Sam to shoot him in the heart. Dean begged him not to. I held my hands over my face, as tears streamed down my cheeks.

Sam wouldn't do it. He had the gun trained on his father, but he wouldn't pull the trigger. Suddenly, John let out a roar and a black cloud erupted from his mouth and disappeared into the ground.

And then it was over. Everything after that was a blur. Sam slung John's arm over his shoulder and led him out to the car. I helped Dean to his feet, supporting all of his weight on me, and guided him out to the car.

I sat with Dean in the backseat, cradling his head to my chest. I could feel his blood seeping through my shirt.

"Hang in there, Dean," I whispered to him, stroking his hair. John sat up front, lecturing Sam about him not shooting the Demon.

I noticed some headlights up in the distance.

"Sam?" I straightened up. He didn't hear me over his father's lectures. The lights got closer.

"Sam?" I said louder.

"Sam!" I screamed. It was too late. The last thing I remember before being plowed by a semi was the blinding headlights next to me.

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 **TeamNoSleep**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

[Sam]

I walked away with a few bumps and bruises. Dad was fine—although I'm sure he would never let anyone think otherwise. Dean and Drew, on the other hand, were unconscious, constantly being monitored by medical personnel. I hardly left their bedsides. We were lucky they put them in the same room to recover.

Dad hung around as often as I think he could. He played a tough act but I knew he struggled seeing his son in that condition. He spent most of his time looking for hunts.

For five days, they both lay there, in that room. They were weak and pale. I couldn't remember a time I'd seen Dean so fragile. And Drew. She was my responsibility. Dean and I promised we would protect her. She looked ghostly under the fluorescent lights. So much so it hurt to see. Knowing they were here because I had failed to see a semi-truck heading our direction.

Drew stirred slightly. A soft groan escaped her lips as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked dazed and confused, but she was conscious.

Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms. She winced slightly at my grip.

"Thank God," I whispered.

"Sam?" she croaked.

"I'm so sorry, Drew," I muttered, pulling her closer to me.

"What for?"

"It's all my fault." I slowly lowered her back down on the bed. She tried to reach out for me with her casted arm. She stopped, observing the cast. I lowered my eyes, waiting for her to become more aware of the situation.

"Sam, look at me." Without thinking, I shook my head. My guilt suddenly consumed me. "Sam." I took a deep breath and looked up to meet her gaze.

"I'm okay," she said. Relief washed over me as she smiled.

"Yeah," I answered, a small smile tugging at my lips. "I guess you are." But still, I hadn't completely forgiven myself. How could I? Two feet away sat my brother, who lay unconscious in a much more critical condition.

Drew seemed to sense my uneasiness but didn't quite understand the cause until she looked to my brother on her left.

"H-he's so pale," she muttered quietly.

"He's not doing so well," I told her, barely able to make my words audible. She was silent for a few minutes, studying Dean.

Drew put a hand on my arm. "He's going to be fine," she reassured me.

I let out a deep sigh before standing up. "I'm going to go get the nurse," I told her.

"I'll be here," she smiled. I stepped out the door and walked down the hallway to the nurses' station.

"Excuse me," I got the attention of a nurse who sat at one of the computers. She looked up at me with a smile.

"How can I help you?"

"Hi, I just came from room 319 where Dean Winchester and Drew Ashley are and I just wanted to let you know that Drew woke up."

"That's fantastic!" she exclaimed, quickly standing up. "Let's go see her!" I led her back to the room where Drew was curiously observing her surroundings.

"Hi, Ms. Ashley?" the nurse caught her attention.

"It's Drew," my friend answered with a smile.

"Hi Drew, my name is Kelly. I'm going to check your vitals, is that alright?"

"Absolutely." Kelly helped Drew sit up as she checked her blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature.

Kelly was very attractive. She was a young woman, probably in her late 20s or early 30s. She had natural blond hair that she had pinned up into a tight bun and kind brown eyes. I'm sure Dean would be having a field day if he were awake.

After Kelly had gone over her initial check, she left to get the doctor. Drew's vitals were stable. She had suffered a nasty concussion and a broken arm, but was overall in good shape.

For two more days, Drew slept a lot. For the few hours a day she was awake, we would play cards or tell stories of our lives. We ate a lot of gross hospital food. I hated to make Drew suffer more, but she understood why I left the hospital as little as possible. Drew liked to take lots of walks in the hallway. For the first few walks, a nurse stayed with her, monitoring her to make sure she was stable enough to walk. Soon enough, she was able to walk around on her own.

She avoided looking over at Dean. I didn't blame her. It hurt me to see him like that still.

"I'm going to go take a walk," Drew told me after losing her third straight game of Go Fish.

"Why? Getting tired of losing?" I teased.

"You, sir, are going to eat those words when I get back!" she exclaimed. She slid her feet into her slippers and headed out for her walk.

Not even a minute later, Dean stirred. I froze, wondering if I was just seeing things. Dean's face scrunched before his eyelids flew open. His eyes searched frantically around the room.

"Dean!" I exclaimed.

"Sammy?" Dean's voice was hoarse.

"Dean, you're okay!" I rushed to his side.

"Sammy, I had the weirdest dream."

"You can tell me all about it later. I'm going to get the doctor." Before Dean could answer, I ran out the door.

"Kelly," I exclaimed.

"Hi Sam, what can I do for you?" she smiled kindly.

"It's—"

"Miss, please don't run!" Kelly cut me off. I spun around to see Drew, running full force at my idiot brother who had gotten out of bed. He stumbled slightly at the impact as she jumped into his arms. He gripped her tightly, holding the base of her head to him. Drew's knuckled whitened as she gripped his gown with her good hand.

"Let me guess," Kelly chuckled. "Dean's awake?"

"Yeah," I laughed. Kelly stood up and I held my hand out to stop her.

"Let's give them a few minutes," I whispered to her. She smiled at me and nodded.

"You're okay," Drew exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" Dean asked, pulling away to look at her.

Drew nodded. "A little battered and bruised, a concussion, but I'm okay."

Dean pulled her back into his arms. "Thank God."

Drew was discharged the next day and Dean three days after that. We had barely made it back to the motel before Dean sat down at my computer and started researching for a hunt. He was restless and, as much as I wanted him to continue resting, I understood.

That night, Drew was curled up on one of the beds, watching an old episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She giggled constantly throughout; honestly, sometimes I forget Drew is an actual adult.

When Dean finally called it a night and closed the laptop, Drew called him over to watch the show with her. Since I was sprawled out on the other bed, Dean laid next to her.

They were both passed out within the next twenty minutes. I turned the lights off for them, but lay wide-awake. The volume on the TV was low so I wouldn't wake them. I stared absent-mindedly at the TV screen, vaguely aware of the sounds of Dean's and Drew's breathing over the nearly mute TV. I couldn't stop thinking, but at the same time, I thought about nothing at all.

The sound of a motor brought me out of my thoughts. I stood up and crept to the door. Dad was leaning against his truck, arms crossed. I slipped outside to meet him.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I'm heading out to a hunt."

"Okay. Can it wait until morning? Dean and Drew just fell asleep."

"No." Dad shook his head.

"Well, I can go wake them." I started back to the room when Dad's hand clapped down on my shoulder.

"Sam." His voice was hard. I turned back to face him.

"I'm going on a hunt."

I was silent for a moment. "Without us." It wasn't a question. I knew. He nodded.

"But we just found you!" I started to argue. "Why can't we come with you?"

"You can't."

"But Dad-"

"Sam. You listen to me. I am going on a hunt. And you are not coming with me."

"Dad, whatever it is, we can handle it!"

"Do not argue with me." He wasn't harsh. But he left no room for arguments.

"Fine," I answered, crossing my arms. "When are you leaving?"

"Now."

"You aren't going to say goodbye to Dean?"

"I've done enough to him. Goodbye, Son." He brought me in for a brief, tight hug.

"Bye, Dad." Without another word or glance my way, he stepped back into his truck, turned it on, backed out of the spot, and drove away.

I sat on the curb until morning. I didn't plan on it. It felt like only a few minutes. But I sat there, arms wrapped around my knees, until the sun came up and Dad was long gone.

With a sigh, I stepped back into the motel room, where Dean and Drew were still fast asleep. Dean was on his back, arm wrapped around Drew, who was cuddled up to him with her head on his chest. I sighed again. I wished they'd just kiss already. It was getting a little sad.

Drew stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open. It took a minute for her to process her surroundings, but when she realized she was huddled up against Dean, she quickly pulled away. Dean awoke with a start.

"Good morning," I called over to them from the small table I sat at. Drew looked over at me, her eyes squinting slightly from having just woken up.

"Morning," she mumbled after a moment. She let out a deep sigh and rolled over onto her other side, pulling the covers up tightly around her shoulders.

"Char?" Dean looked over at her.

"Mmm?" she mumbled.

"Are you awake?"

"Mmhmm…" She fell asleep again. Dean chuckled and stood up out of bed. He stretched his arms out wide and looked at me.

"Morning, Sammy!" he smiled brightly at me.

"You're in a good mood," I raised an eyebrow.

"Never better!" he called over his shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom. I shook my head with a soft chuckle and looked over at the sleeping Drew.

"Dean, I'm going to go get breakfast," I called through the bathroom door.

"Get me some pie!" was his only response. With a small chuckle, I took Dean's car to a small diner a few miles down the road, where I ordered three coffees, three orders of omelets to go, and a slice of apple pie for Dean.

My phone went off almost as soon as I closed the car door behind me. It took a few seconds of shuffling around, trying to move the bags of omelets to the passenger seat without spilling the tray of coffees all over myself and the car, before I finally was able to answer.

"Hello?" I jammed the phone between my cheek and my shoulder, still shifting the breakfasts around.

"Sam Winchester?"

"This is he."

"Hey, man!" the voice was suddenly chipper. "Long time, no talk! How you been?"

"Uh, I'm good, thanks. I'm sorry, I, uh, didn't get a chance to look at the caller ID…"

"Oh, yeah totally, it's Matt." Matt… Matt? Who's Matt?

"Oh, yeah hey Matt!"

"Hey man!" We were silent for a second.

"So…" I trailed off awkwardly. "What's going on?"

"Oh, yeah," he laughed uncomfortably on the other line. "So I've been thinking a lot about our hunt from a few months ago. You know, where we totally kicked vampire butt." That's right. Matt from California, where we knocked out that vampire nest. "And I've come across a little bit of trouble out here again. I could use your help."

"What's going on?"

"I'm going to be honest with you, Sam, I have no idea. It's nothing I've ever seen before. But it's dangerous and it's scary and it's killed a lot of people. I'm in way over my head here."

"Alright, Dean and I are out in Iowa right now. It's going to take us a few days to get out there. You going to be okay until then?"

"Yeah, just get here when you can. I appreciate it." He made sure I knew where to go and hung up.

Dean was watching TV in bed next to a still sleeping Drew when I got back.

"Here," I said as I tossed him his foil-wrapped omelet and a fork. "I found us a case."

"What is it?" Dean asked as he carefully unwrapped his omelet so he wouldn't wake up Drew.

"Remember Matt from that vamp nest in California?" Dean looked over at Drew and nodded. "He's got something else. Something he's never dealt with before. He's not really sure what it is and he needs help."

"Cool." Dean shoveled a fork-full of food into his mouth. "Guess Chardonnay going home."

 **Kind of a filler chapter buuuuut as always, reviews are much appreciated. Constructive criticism (but be nice!) is always welcome and appreciated.**

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 **PS IS ANYONE ELSE SUPER PUMPED FOR (the very last) GISHWHES?!**


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

[Drew]

 _I was in the middle of a forest-the very forest Sam and Dean trained me in. It was dark, the dim moonlight offering minimal visibility. The only sounds were the songs of the crickets and the soft whistle of the wind through the trees. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen the stars so brightly and clearly. As I lay in the middle of the forest clearing, I felt at peace. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't afraid of the monsters in my closet._

 _A soft rustle caught my attention. I turned to my left to see Dean's figure striding towards me. He smiled brightly at me._

 _"Hey, Chardonnay," he grinned._

 _"Hey." Dean laid down next to me. His arm was pressed against mine._

 _"What are you doing out here?" he asked me._

 _"Just looking at the stars. It's beautiful out tonight."_

 _"You're beautiful." I looked over at him and his eyes met mine. His face was inches from mine; my heart was racing. I quickly sat up, wrapping my arms around my knees._

 _"Chardonnay, can I be honest with you?" He sat up, facing me. I nodded._

 _"I really, really want to kiss you." Our eyes locked. He slowly lifted his right hand up, cupping it underneath my chin. As he slowly drew closer to me, I was afraid my heart would beat out of my chest. His hand moved to my cheek before gently brushing a strand of hair away from my face. He lingered there._

 _Slowly, his lips met mine. They were warm and soft, and he kissed me in a way that sent shivers down my spine. His breathing grew ragged as he deepened the kiss._

 _All too quickly, he pulled away, pressing his forehead to mine._

 _"Char…"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Char… Char! Char!"_

"Come on, Chardonnay," Dean was gently shaking my shoulders. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

"Mmm…" I groaned.

"That was hot," Dean teased.

"Huh… What?" I forced my eyes open, looking at Dean through groggy eyes.

"Good dream?" he smirked.

"Uh…" I rubbed my eyes. "I don't remember." Which was a lie. I definitely remembered everything. Every feeling. If only he'd given me five more minutes.

Dean laughed again. "Go get ready, Chardonnay. We're hitting the road soon."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." I studied his face for a second; his smile hid a secret but refused to let it slip.

"You're weird," I muttered as I hauled myself out of bed.

We were in the car for longer than I cared to be. I wished I could say I was used to sitting in the car for days on end. But honestly, I was probably more restless that I was when we first started our adventure.

"Can I pick the music?" I leaned forward between the two front seats. Sam looked at Dean with a smirk.

"No," Dean answered.

"But-"

"No."

"No fair! Why do you always get to pick?" I whined.

"Driver picks the music-"

"Backseat shuts her cake hole. Got it," I huffed and sat back against my seat, arms crossed tightly across my body. Sam chuckled.

"I have really good taste though," I whined.

"Don't care," Dean answered.

"A little variety could do you some good."

"Shutting up could do you some good." I gaped at him. Sam could no longer contain his laughter.

"That was rude!" I hissed. Dean looked at me through the rearview mirror as he slowly pressed his finger to his lips.

"Dean Winchester, you take that back!" I shrieked angrily. With a quick snarky wink, his eyes were back on the road.

"Ugh! You shouldn't even be driving! You have a concussion!" Sam suddenly stopped laughing.

"Oh my God, Dean," Sam looked at his brother. "You have a concussion. Pull the car over."

"You're done for, Chardonnay," Dean rolled his eyes. Dean pulled the car to the side of the road. When the Winchesters unbuckled their seatbelts, I undid mine too. Sam went around the front of the car to the driver's seat while Dean went around the back. I, on the other hand, clumsily fell out of the backseat and dove for the passenger's seat before Dean could. I quickly fumbled with the seatbelt and sat back with pride when it clicked in place.

Dean, leaning his arm against the side of his baby, sighed at me.

"Chardonnay, don't be annoying," he rolled his eyes.

"I'm not." I folded my arms tightly across my chest.

"Get out of my seat."

"It's my seat." I didn't look in his direction.

"You're lucky you're cute," he sighed. He leaned over me to unbuckle my seatbelt while simultaneously shoving his arm underneath my knees.

"What are you-" I wasn't able to finish my sentence before he swiftly pulled me out of the car and set me down on the street.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. Dean turned and took his spot back in the car, closing the door behind me.

I whined, resisting the urge to kick my feet against the dirt. I'm a grown woman.

I stood up, brushing the dust off my clothes and walked to the car, dragging my feet against the ground. Grown woman, right? I threw my body into the car, hitting the seats with a muffled thud. I noisily threw my arms against the door and closed it behind me. I made sure to make as much noise as possible so Dean knew I was mad at him.

I heard Dean shuffling around in the glove box in front of me. He tossed a pair of headphones over his shoulder and they landed none-too-gracefully in my lap.

"There. Quit your whining." I rolled my eyes as I untangled the headphones.

"You're annoying," I mocked him. Dean opened his mouth to say something but I had already shut him out with the headphones in my ears.

I awoke when the car slowed to a stop. My eyes were dry with sleep and I rubbed at them furiously to clear up my vision. Sam rolled down his window and a burst of warm air blew against my face.

"Boy, am I glad to see you." Matt's familiar face greeted us in the driveway of his home. What was Matt doing here? Sam and Dean had already stepped out of the car, greeting my vampire-nest savior with handshakes and awkward bro hugs.

"Wait a second," I hesitated before getting out of the car. I peered around the back of the car, looking down both ends of the street. The three men looked at me expectantly. "We're right by my home…" A wave of homesickness that I had refused to acknowledge all these months made my chest ache. My home was just around the corner. The diner I worked at was a few blocks away. My friends were all there. Were they in danger?

"What's going on here?" I walked up to the three of them without giving Matt a proper greeting. Matt removed his baseball cap, scratching at his thinning hair as he spoke.

"Lots of women are dying. M.E.s can't figure out a cause of death and I can't find anything to connect them." I was visibly distraught. I didn't need a mirror to know how my face twisted with worry-my eyebrows pinching together and my jaw clenching-or how I was nervously picking at my nails and the skin around my nails. It was a nervous habit I'd had my whole life.

"Let's get some food," Sam suggested as he placed a firm hand over mine. "We can talk over dinner." I looked up at him and he nodded, knowing my question without me even asking. We were going to my diner so I would know, for better or for worse, what I had left behind.

The diner was only a few blocks from where Matt lived. I gladly would have sprinted all the way there, but Dean insisted we take his baby. My foot tapped nervously against the car floor for the 2 minutes it took to get there.

I threw myself out the door before the car came to a full stop and hit the ground running. The familiar flashing red "DINER" sign lit up the otherwise dark parking lot, with the smog-stained California moon offering the only other visibility. I could see the heads of my old coworkers as they happily filled coffee cups of our regular night owls. I burst through the diner doors, the bell alerting my presence. I was breathing heavily and my heart was racing. I scanned familiar faces, watching the evolution of their expressions. Surprise… Recognition… Excitement… Realization… Sympathy. I continued scanning until my eyes landed on the corner of the diner, where dozens of bouquets and candles decorated pictures. I walked to the shrine like a zombie. One foot landing heavily in front of the other. It was like a movie. I heard no sounds outside of my own breathing-though I'm sure in that moment, no one dared make a sound-and I saw nothing but the shrine.

I reached for her picture. Macee. We called her "Mom." She'd just turned 46 two weeks prior. I had texted her, wishing her a happy birthday and promised to celebrate with cake next time I was in town. She'd been married to the love of her life for only two years at that point. He must have been devastated. She never had kids of her own, but that never seemed to bother her. After my parents passed, she took on a more maternal role with me. Everyone loved her. She was kind, caring, and funny. You could come to her with any problem or story and she was ready with a cup of coffee and a hug.

My arms fell heavily to my sides and I felt as if suddenly I was being pulled to the ground by 100 lb. weights. Just before my knees hit the ground, I was met by strong, supportive arms that hoisted me steadily up to my feet. I met Dean's eyes and I knew he understood. We were too late and as a result, I lost someone near and dear to my heart. Reality set in. I clutched desperately at my heart, as if somehow it would stop my heart from splitting. With my other hand, I clung to Dean's arm, relying heavily on his strength to keep me standing upright. Suddenly, I was enveloped in the comfortingly familiar arms of those working that night.

Betty, the 70 year old recently widowed waitress who refused to retire, for the empty home she went home to was far worse than any difficulty in the workplace. Anna, the 27-year-old mother working to put her husband through law school. Her three-year-old son often came to work with her, spending his days drinking apple juice and drawing Momma and Auntie Drew pictures of cars and barely recognizable dinosaurs. And Paulo, our Italian gentleman, who came to America with dreams of becoming a rich entrepreneur but found his home working as the head chef in a small diner in a small town.

"It's only been two days," Anna murmured into my hair. She pulled away and sniffled, looking me in the eyes as hers filled with tears. I was barely able to croak out the words, "What happened?" She gently took hold of my hand, her dark skin a sharp contrast to my fair skin, and led me to a corner booth. I absent-mindedly reached for Dean's hand behind me, craving the warmth and comfort his presence gave me. He laced his fingers through mine as he followed.

We all piled in. It was a fairly slow night; the news of Macee's untimely death no doubt had spread quickly and many stayed away in respect for those of us in mourning. Betty and Anna took turns serving the few customers that did come in. Paulo promised to sit with us whenever he had the chance, but he was the only cook on that night. When we sat down, it was like the heavy weight of our loss had suddenly lifted. There was no doubt the dark clouds still hovered over us, but for a while, it was just a bunch of friends, old and new, being together.

"Can I get you honeys anything?" Betty asked. Sam ordered a chicken salad, while Dean and Matt asked for a double bacon cheeseburger and fries.

"I'm not hungry," I told her with a small smile. Betty looked at me, hands on hips, before quickly scribbling down on her notepad.

"Cheeseburger, no tomato, pickles, or onions, and a chocolate milkshake extra whip coming right up." I laughed and shook my head.

"Betty, honey, I'm really not hungry." She looked at the boys, asking when the last time I'd eaten was. They told her it had to have been at least 8 hours, since I had slept through their last food stop.

"Thought so."

"Betty," I whined.

"Honey Bee, we've been around this block before. You are going to eat. You'll hurt Paulo's feelings."

"Tesoro Mio, my treasure, don't break my poor heart!" Paulo called from the kitchen. I let out a soft laugh as Betty turned on her heels and walked away.

"I'm glad you brought him back around," Anna whispered in my ear as she subtly gestured at Sam. "But where was _he_ last time? Mmm, girl you've been holding out on me." I quickly shushed her before Dean heard. But it was too late. He smirked. Ego officially boosted.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." Anna held her hand out towards Sam, Dean, and Matt. "I'm Anna." I nudged her gently as she giggled.

"I'm Sam," he shook her hand. "This is my brother, Dean, and our friend Matt."

"Brothers!" she exclaimed. "Be still my beating heart!" I rolled my eyes.

"I'm going to go freshen up." Dean stepped out of the booth to allow me to slide out. "She's married!" I called over my shoulder. With a stern look aimed directly at Dean, I added, "So watch it." Anna let out a lighthearted giggle.

I locked the door to the one-person bathroom with a click. Letting out a deep, ragged sigh, I leaned my hands against the edge of the porcelain sink. Meeting my own glossy blue-eyed reflection in the mirror, I commanded myself not to cry. If Macee were there, she'd scold me for letting tears stain my cheeks. She'd tell me she lived a fulfilling, beautiful life and not to mourn, but celebrate. But she wasn't there and I hated that. Why shouldn't I cry? Why shouldn't I agonize over my loss? She may have lived a full-although short-life, but I had to go about the rest of mine without her. I choked back a sob, commanding myself yet again not to cry.

I squeezed the sink under my fingertips so tightly they turned white while I tried to steady my breathing. With a sharp exhale, I pushed myself off. I gathered up my hair, bristly and dull from many hours in the car, and forced it up into a messy blonde bun on top of the crown of my head. I turned the faucet, cupping my hands under the stream to splash the cold water on my face. I'd seen better days for sure. I took one last look in the mirror. My eyes were glossy, my cheeks pink, and my hair ratted. But I didn't look entirely like I was falling apart. So I headed back to the table.

They didn't see me coming, but I could hear them speaking.

"Her parents passed two years ago," Anna was saying. I quickly ducked behind the counter of the bar. "It tore her apart."

"She'd been here for three years already. Graduated high school right down the road. Her father took a job out here. They used to come for midnight milkshakes every Sunday night," Betty added. I smiled at the memory. I _lived_ for Shake Sunday. "I'd never met a family more in love with each other."

"What happened?" Sam spoke slowly, hesitating, like he wasn't sure he should be asking.

"Cold case. No one knows," Anna sighed. "Drew's the one that found them."

Betty lowered her eyes, brushing back a loose strand of silver hair. "We were afraid we were going to lose her too." Anna folded her hands on the tabletop as she let out a long breath. The boys were silent, waiting for them to continue. "She hardly ate. She had to have lost nearly 25 pounds before she got a handle on her life again."

"She's a small gal to begin with," Anna pitched in. "She looked like the walking dead when she hit her lowest."

"She dropped out of school. I didn't hear her speak for nearly three months. You _have_ to take care of her," Betty pleaded. "Macee was her second mother. Don't let her fall back into that."  
"You have my word," Dean told her. She gave him a small smile. A man called from across the diner, asking for a refill of his coffee. I quickly jumped out from my hiding spot so I wouldn't get caught eavesdropping. Betty squeezed my hand as she passed me.

I took my seat in between Anna and Dean, feeling uncomfortable and exposed at the part of me that had been shared with the boys. A part of me that I had never thought to share myself.

Betty brought our food out a few moments later.

"Tesoro mio, a special shake just for you." Paulo brought out a chocolate milkshake, piled high with extra whipped cream, and placed it in front of me.

I pulled the shake closer to me, taking a spoonful of whipped cream. Dean crinkled his nose as he watched me. Small talk continued through our meals. Dean ordered a slice of cherry pie after finishing his burger and ate the whole thing in what seemed like three bites. Once he finally finished eating, he leaned back in his seat, comfortably draping his arm over the seat behind me. Anna cocked a flirty eyebrow at me. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling the blush creep up to my cheeks. I hid my face behind my hands when she laughed at me.

When the conversation slowed, I had to ask the question that had been eating at me.

"Anna? Betty?" I looked at them. "What happened to Macee?"

 **Feedback is always appreciated. Just be nice :)**

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Just as Matt said, no one knew exactly what happened to Macee and the other women who had died in the area. Paulo was the one that found Macee. He said she looked like she was sleeping on the floor of the storage closet. There were no wounds to indicate she had been injured. He had tried to shake her awake; she had been working double shifts the last few weeks so it made sense she would be tired. He called 911 when she was unresponsive and tried to perform CPR. When paramedics arrived on the scene, they pronounced her dead. They told Paulo she had probably been dead for close to an hour and he shouldn't blame himself for her passing.

We took Matt back to his home and went back to my apartment. I had thought about selling it a few months prior and I was glad I hadn't gone through with it. As soon as we stepped through the door, I felt relief wash over me. It was just as we'd left it. I ran my fingers along the kitchen counter, remembering how Sam and Dean had helped me clean my home after I had been attacked by my very first demon all that time ago.

"Um, I've got an air mattress in here," I muttered as I searched through the hallway closet. A broom toppled out and I fumbled with it for a few moments before letting it plop on the ground. I pulled out the folded air mattress and a pump and handed them both to Sam.

"Sometimes Anna's son AJ sleeps over at my place whenever Anna or her husband have to work late," I explained. "He takes my bed and I take the air mattress."

"What a sweetheart," Dean smirked. He and Sam rolled out the air mattress, readjusting the furniture around it to fit.

"Whatever," I laughed. "I'm going to go shower while you guys work on that." I grabbed my duffel bag and headed into the bathroom, where I unpacked my shampoo bottles, body wash, and face wash.

There, in the safety of my own shower, I stood under the steaming hot water, relishing the feeling of the water hitting my skin. I shampooed and conditioned the tangles out of my hair, washed my face and body, and stepped out of the shower a changed woman.

Sam had set up shop in my kitchen. His eyebrows pressed together in his concentration. Dean, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the air mattress, scrolling through the few channels on the TV.

"Your channel selection sucks," he told me.

"How much money do you think I make at that diner?" I countered, throwing my hands against my hips.

"With a face like yours, I'm surprised you weren't rolling in tips," he answered with a nonchalant shrug. I blushed furiously, quickly spinning on my heels to face Sam.

"Behave," Sam muttered against the hand he used to support his head. He didn't even look up from his computer. Dean let out an amused laugh. After reminding him yet again that he was annoying, I took a seat next to Sam.

"Find anything?" Sam looked at me and hesitated before shutting his computer.

"Nope," he answered with a small smile. "It's been a long day, Drew. A lot has happened. You should get some rest. We'll revisit in the morning with fresh eyes." I looked at him, studying his face as frustration welled up inside me. I felt Dean's eyes on me as he watched for my reaction. I was angry Sam wanted me to sleep after I learned my friend had been killed. I huffed angrily, but something told me I wouldn't win this one. With a sigh of defeat, I muttered a disheartened "good night" and retreated to my room. I curled up under my thick comforter, relishing in the comfort of my own bed.

I laid awake for what felt like forever. Partly because it was strange not falling asleep to the sounds of Sam's and Dean's breathing, or headlights flashing through the window as cars passed by. When I first ended up on the road, the constant sounds kept me awake. Now, it was like I couldn't sleep without them. But mostly I laid awake because the events of that day flashed through my mind. It wasn't until I rolled onto my side and stared at the night sky through the window that I welcome the warm invite of sleep.

 _Macee stood in front of me, cloaked in all white, with her raven pixie cut dancing around her head as if she were floating in water. Her face twisted with sorrow. I'd never seen her caramel eyes so sad._

 _"Why didn't you help me?" Her voice echoed in my head like she had called to me from the other end of a tunnel._

 _"I tried!" I wanted to call back, but no sound came out. Her voice was eerie, sending chills down my spine._

 _"Drew!" I reached desperately for her outstretched hand, watching in horror as she disintegrated before my eyes. Her ebony hair quickly changed to a dull silver; her once fresh and youthful skin turned ghostly pale, then sickly gray as it crinkled. Her warm caramel eyes dulled, turning darker and darker until all that was left were two black empty crevices. Her jaw dropped, detached from the rest of her skull, and hung there, revealing a disturbingly large hole. Then, starting from the tip of her head and traveling inch by inch, she turned to ash._

I woke up screaming. I clutched at my covers, trying to tell myself it was just a dream as tears streamed down my cheeks. Suddenly, two strong arms enveloped me. I didn't need to open my eyes to know it was Dean. I threw my arms around his neck and sobbed hysterically into his shoulder. The cotton of his shirt soaked through with my tears.

"It was horrible," I blubbered. It was almost embarrassing; I hadn't been this vulnerable in a long time.

My chest ached and my lungs burned and I took that as a sign to focus on slowing my breathing. Once I had calmed down enough to get a coherent sentence out, I murmured into Dean's shoulder. "What are you doing in here?"

"I couldn't sleep," he answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"So you just figured you'd come in here and watch me sleep? Missed me that much?" I meant for it to be teasing, but I was so distraught, it sounded accusatory. He looked me in the eyes, green meeting blue. Sympathy cloaked his usual snarky demeanor.

"I could hear you," he told me. He took my hands in his and I shivered at the contrast between his warm hands and my cold, clammy skin. "I wanted to be here because I knew you'd need me." I sniffled and nodded as I leaned my head against his shoulder. In one quick, fluid motion, Dean situated himself at the head of my bed and pulled me against him. I was on my side, head buried in the crook of his neck. He held me against him until I stopped shaking.

"Thank you," I whispered, breathing in his familiar, musky scent. He rested his cheek against my head, murmuring, "I will always protect you." I let his words sink in as I recounted just how many times he really had protected me. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he would continue to stand by my side for the rest of my life.

"Will you stay here tonight?" My voice was barely above a whisper. My heart pounded as the half-second it took him to answer felt like an hour. I didn't know why I was suddenly so nervous. It wasn't like I had never shared a bed with Dean before. And I knew what his answer would be. The question just felt so intimate.

Dean drew in a long breath through his nose. "I don't know, Char. Sammy might miss me." I smacked his chest and rolled my eyes when he complained. He'd taken harder hits.

"Get some rest, darling," he told me. "I'll be here when you wake up." I closed my eyes and curled back into him. As the nightmare adrenaline faded, exhaustion set in and I quickly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Sunlight streaked in through the windows and woke me up. I silently cursed myself for not closing the blinds the night before. As I woke up, I suddenly became more aware of my surroundings. Dean was asleep behind me, the big spoon to my little spoon. His left arm was draped across my body, holding me close to him. His breathing was soft and steady as it tickled the back of my neck.

Carefully so as to not wake him, I turned around to face him. He looked so peaceful. I tried to tell myself that staring at him was creepy, but I couldn't stop. I could only think of when we danced at the bar when we first met. That time I found Dean asleep in the motel chair when he'd moved me to the bed after I'd fallen asleep. The way he'd hugged me after he'd woken up in the hospital after we'd been hit by a semi. The way he smiled. The way he looked at me. The way he called me Chardonnay. I was hit with an overwhelming desire to kiss him.

Instead, I tore my eyes away and buried my face in his neck. Dean shifted, pulled me tighter against him in his sleep. A few minutes later, he groaned and opened his eyes.

"Good Morning, beautiful." My head skipped a beat. "I could get used to waking up like this." His voice was husky and tired, and I couldn't help but obsess over how sexy he sounded.

"Good Morning."

We rolled out of bed moments after that. We made a beeline for the living room, where Sam was already awake. He glanced up from his computer when we walked out and I wondered what he was thinking. Did he assume something had happened last night? Had I woken him up too? Was Sam the one who insisted Dean check on me?

I looked at the clock on the microwave: 6:18.

"You're up early," I said.

"Look who's talking," Sam flashed me a crooked smile. I was about to ask if he'd found anything but he closed his laptop and suggested we get breakfast before we began the day's investigation.

After breakfast, we took turns taking showers and getting ready. I was the last to go. By the time I was out, Dean and Sam were already dressed in their FBI suits.

I got dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a long-sleeved striped shirt. As I threw my wet hair up in a bun, I asked what the plan was.

"We're going to the morgue," Sam answered as Dean handed him his fake badge. On any other case, I'd have begged the Winchesters to let me partner up with one of them; I wanted to try my hand at being an FBI agent. But I knew better this time. After all, I'd worked at a diner in this small town for the better part of two years. They all knew me.

While the boys finished preparing, I headed out to the Impala to wait. We were on our way to the morgue within minutes.

The morgue sat just on the edge of town, sharing a lobby with the sheriff's department. I'd been ordered to wait in the car; I didn't.

Standing at the door was a red haired, brown-eyed security guard named Frankie. We had gone to school together. Frankie was two years older than I was and we shared a music class. He was a good shot too. He'd often made me nervous when we'd compete against each other as practice before competitions. I hadn't seen him since he graduated high school 5 years prior. I always assumed he'd gone and moved to L.A. or San Francisco like he'd always talked about.

He seemed to be doing well for himself. He'd bulked up; I almost didn't recognize him, as he'd always been very thin. On his hand, a gold ring flashed. I'd hoped he'd finally tied the knot with his high school sweetheart, Mike.

I watched the boys flash their fake badges and Frankie let them through. I settled into my seat and let out a deep sigh as I contemplated the pros and cons of going out to catch up with an old friend. It couldn't have been much more than a minute when another young officer shook hands with Frankie and took his place.

I was overwhelmed with the need to see Macee-to know what happened-and I couldn't help but appreciate how lucky I was. I'd never seen this new officer before, which mean he'd have no idea who I wasn't actually FBI.

It wasn't until I have halfway to the door when I realized I didn't actually have a fake badge. But by then, he'd already seen me and it was too late to turn around. Without a plan, I marched right up to him.

"Hi."

"Hello," he flashed me a pearly white smile. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here to see a friend," I lied quickly.

He raised an ashy brown eyebrow. "Boyfriend?" His blue eyes sparkled.

"Just a friend," I answered, rubbing my arm shyly.

"Well in that case." He ran a hand through his short blonde hair. "I'm Liam."

"Drew," I smiled as I shook his outstretched hand. They were calloused, obviously the result of many long hours at the gym. The effort was definitely worth it. Liam leaned casually against the door friend and studied me.

"You new here?" I shook my head. "No way. I haven't seen you around and I'd remember someone as beautiful as you." My cheeks burned. I quickly shook aside the gross feeling I got as his words so closely resembled what Tony had said to me so long ago.

"I've been here a few years. I work at the diner," I answered quickly. "I've just been travelling." His full lips curled up into a crooked smile.

"You sticking around for a while?" The door suddenly flew open. If Liam hadn't reacted so quickly, he would've been hit pretty violently. I was grateful for his quick reflexes and the safety of his face.

Dean stood between the two of us. "She's with me." He shoved his badge in Liam's face before gripping my wrist and pulling me inside.

"See you around, Drew," Liam called after me.

"Don't hold your breath." Dean muttered so quietly I almost didn't hear him. He guided me to a quiet corner.

"I thought I told you to stay in the car," Dean hissed. "Not flirt with some lame rent-a-cop."

I cocked my head to the side. "Dean Winchester, are you jealous?" He rolled his eyes.

"Just come with me and don't get us in trouble." I had to run to keep up with his long strides.

Sam waited for us in front of a door labeled "MORGUE."

"I wonder what's through there." Neither acknowledged m joke.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked.

"We're good, Dean's just jealous. Damaged ego and all that," I shrugged. Dean shot me a look that could've killed.

Sam laughed. "Who was that?"

"No idea. He's new here." Sam looked at his brother, who was obviously upset, and laughed again.

We walked down a few flights of stairs and a long hallway before meeting the county coroner. I recognized him as a diner regular. He smiled when he saw me.

"Drew! I didn't know you were home!" He gave me a warm hug and I could almost taste the sympathy.

"Good to see you too, Alan." Alan had been a good friend of Macee; they graduated high school together. I could tell her death had taken a toll on him-dark circles rimmed his sullen green eyes and his usually groomed salt-and-pepper hair sat wildly on his head.

"What are you doing down here?"

"I'm with them." I gestured to the boys.

"Sam Winchester, and this is my partner Dean." The two showed him their badges. Usually, they went by fake names, but this was a small town and people talked. We couldn't risk getting caught.

"I can let you two in but, Drew, I'm sorry, I can't let you through."

"But Alan-"

"It's the rules, Drew. Law enforcement only."

"I'll give you free burgers for a week," I exclaimed. Alan looked at me for a moment. The wheels turned in his head as he obviously contemplated what the repercussions would be if he let me in.

"Please," I begged quietly. "I need to see her."

"Make it two weeks," he sighed.

"Thank you," I threw my arms around him. He gave me a small smile and led me through the doors.

Lying across a steel table, the outline of a body was covered under a thin blue drape.

My heart pulsed in my ears as Alan stood on the other side of the table, gripping the sheet with white knuckles. After a deep breath, he carefully folded the sheet to expose just above Macee's shoulders. I sucked in the air through my teeth. She looked like she was sleeping. Like if I just tapped on her shoulder, she'd giggle and apologize for playing such a cruel prank on me. But the ghostly pale discoloration on her cheeks and the stillness of her chest shattered any remaining shreds of hope I had left. A single tear slipped down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away, not wanting to show any signs of weakness and make them regret letting me down there.

"What did you find?" Sam asked. Alan hesitated before answering. He searched my face and I quickly averted my gaze.

"I couldn't find anything unusual." He picked up his notes. "Tox screen came back negative, blood-alcohol level was zero, no evidence of trauma." The wheels were turning in Sam's head. I knew him well enough to know the look on his face. Something wasn't adding up.

"Sam?" I asked.

"Will you turn her over?" Sam looked directly at Alan. His eyes widened in surprise for a split second before regaining his composure.

"W-Why?" he stammered. "Th-there wasn't anything there."

"Humor us," Dean smirked. Alan looked between the three of us frantically and I wondered what possibly could be making him so nervous. What was he hiding?

"But-" Dean interrupted him, telling Alan if he didn't turn her over, Sam and Dean would. With a shake, nervous exhale, Alan slipped his hands beneath her shoulders and her lower back, and turned her on her side. In that moment, I was grateful I was seeing her after she had been cleaned of blood because I wasn't sure my stomach could handle it.

At the back of her head, where the majority of her hair should have been attached to a healthy scalp, was a giant, gaping hole.

 **As always, reviews are always much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Much love xx until next time**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 **((Ps: TeaDreamer, your reviews light me up inside. I appreciate you and I am so so glad you're enjoying this story. I hope you continue to like it as much as I do!))**


	18. Chapter 18

I have no concept of how frequently to upload chapters lol

CHAPTER 18

"Ah, yes, no trauma present." Dean rolled his eyes.

"You see the giant hole in her head too, right Dean?" Sam kept his eyes on Alan, who refused to look up from the floor.

"You realize you're interfering with a federal investigation?" The Winchesters continued bombarding Alan with questions; both were getting angrier and angrier as their interrogations were met with silence.

I ducked my head so I could meet his eyes. "Alan?" He seemed to have aged 10 years in those few moments. He looked so disheartened and so tired, like he had been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for far too long. I put a hand on his cheek and gently forced him to look at me.

"Get out." I kept my eyes on Alan as I directed my command at the Winchesters. There was a silence. I whipped my head around to look at them.

"Get out," I said again. Their eyes widened when they realized I was talking to them.

"But Char-" Dean started.

"Get. Out." Sam and Dean tried to argue with me as I repeated the same two words again. I shot them a look that could kill and they finally, reluctantly, left.

I turned back to Alan, whose gaze had returned to the marble floor. I pulled the sheet up over Macee's face again and let out a deep exhale.

"Alan?" I gently forced his head to face me. "What's going on?"

"There's so much…" his words were soft. "So much you don't understand."

"Tell me," I begged. "Help me understand."

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "So much darkness, Drew. There are things in this world…"

"Monsters?" I could barely get the words out. He froze. For a moment, it felt like time stood still. Then he slowly raised his eyes to meet mine.

"You know?" the horror in his voice made my heart drop.

"I know." He shook his head wildly.

"I don't understand… How could you know? We tried so hard…" he murmured to himself. His blue eyes darted back and forth as he searched the area around him, as if the answers were written somewhere on the walls.

"Did they all die like Macee did?" It was as if a dark cloud suddenly loomed above him. With a bit of hesitation, he nodded.

"The hole…" I couldn't explain the mood that followed my unfinished sentence. Alan had looked distressed before, but now he looked almost manic. With wide, crazy blue eyes, he gripped my shoulders tightly. His face was mere inches from mine as he whispered two words that sent shivers down my spine.

"Soul eaters."

By the time I left Alan, I was drained. It felt like I had been there for hours. I found Sam and Dean leaning up against a wall a few feet away from the door to the morgue. They weren't speaking, but the folded arms and the scrunched eyebrows was enough to tell me they weren't happy. They were probably ticked that I had kicked them out. But I didn't care.

"What the hell, Char?" Dean exclaimed when he saw me.

"What did you find out?" Sam followed close behind.

"My home…" I muttered. "They're terrorizing my home."

"What's going on?" Dean's angry demeanor softened immediately.

"They came right after we left," I tried to explain. "They're going to kill everyone."

"Who?" Dean slowly raised his hands before dropping them back down to his sides, as if he couldn't decide if he should hug me or not. I wished he had.

"They promised the cops they would spare the town as long as they covered up their kills. But then the FBI started poking around," I choked on a sob. Images of my friends flash through my mind. Betty, Anna, AJ, Frankie, Alan… All would be dead before long.

I fell weak at the knees, and Sam caught me before I could fall.

"They're all going to die," I sobbed as I clutched onto his shirt sleeve.

"Hold up, Char, what's going on? Who's coming for them?"

"Soul eaters," Sam answered for me. I looked up at him through tears; I couldn't figure out how he'd already known. I nodded as I cried even harder. Dean pulled me from his brother, hugging me tightly to him.

"We're going to get those sons of bitches before they can hurt anyone else," Dean promised me. I nodded into his shoulder as I tried to force myself to stop crying.

We regrouped at Matt's house to go over the information we already knew.

"Soul eaters?!" Matt shrieked. "How the _hell_ are we supposed to kill soul eaters?"

We were gathered around a luxurious meal of steak, potatoes, veggies, and alcohol that Matt had so graciously prepared for us. Dean and Sam were too busy shoveling food into their mouths to answer. It was like they'd never seen food before.

"We don't know," I told him. "This is new territory for us too." I absent-mindedly rolled a piece of broccoli across my plate. I had trouble finding an appetite after discovering the loss of my dear friend, but learning the danger of my home and loved ones… I feared I'd never be hungry again.

"First thing's first, we have to find them. Can't kill 'em if we don't know where they are," Dean mumbled between mouthfuls of his third steak.

"Well, how do we find them?" Matt asked.

Sam answered, "We should look into the past victims and see if we can find any relation between them." I hadn't really considered the fact that Macee wasn't the only one who had been killed. To be honest, I was afraid to know how many more of my friends had been murdered, and I didn't even know they were gone.

"Do you have the names of the women who were killed?" Sam asked Matt. He stood up quickly; his standing height was not much taller than his height sitting in the chair.  
"Yes, I have them all written down on a paper in my office." He turned quickly on his heels just as I met Dean's look.

"Let's wait 'till after dinner," Dean called after him. He glanced down at my untouched dinner and looked back at me as if to tell me a single word: "Eat." I poked at the baked potato with my fork and let my hair fall to hide my face from everyone's gaze. I could feel all of their eyes on me and I prayed something would come crashing through the window to take their attention away from me and my lack of appetite. Maybe a ghost. Or a vampire. Demons would be cool too.

Sam, having finished four steaks, three baked potatoes, and five helpings of vegetables, and seeming to sense my discomfort, asked Matt to show him to his study and share what he'd found about the women so far. When they were gone, Dean reached across the table and put his hand on mine.

"Wanna talk?" I shook my head.

"No chick flick moments," I muttered. Dean smiled a toothy grin and laughed.

"Can you eat for me? You haven't had a single bite and I promise the food is real good." I nodded but couldn't bring myself to put the food on my fork. I thought about how Dean had spent so many nights with Sam as kids; I thought about how Dean had practically raised Sam. A small smile tugged at my lips as I pictured a young Dean saying that exact thing to a young Sam who refused to eat his veggies.

Dean got up and moved to the chair next to me. I thought about the promise he'd made to Betty and Anna and how I wasn't making it easy for him. When I refused to look at him, he took my hand and held it tightly in his. As he rubbed his thumb against the back of my hand, he spoke.

"I know you're hurting right now. I get it. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my mom. That kind of pain just doesn't go away. And I know you know that. I made a promise from the moment I found that demon with you that I would always protect you. You're coming with us to gank those sons of bitches that hurt your friends. But, Char, I can't protect you if you don't keep your strength up. So please. Eat." So I did. I finished at least half of my plate. Dean seemed to be pretty satisfied as he put my leftovers into a tupperware in the fridge and our empty plates into the sink. Then he gently took my hand and led me into the study where Matt and Sam were comparing notes. I couldn't tell if the flutters in my stomach were from Dean's touch or from eating so fast.

I quickly withdrew my hand when we walked through the doorway. Sam was hunched over his laptop while Matt was lost in his notes. I wondered how he ended up in this life by himself. He was obviously a genius. Slightly childish, but a genius nonetheless.

I took a seat next to Sam as Dean sat next to Matt on the other side of the desk. I was really impressed with Matt's set up. It reminded me of detective shows with the maps pinned on the walls, thumbtacks littered around different areas, and photos and names of the victims.

When no one else spoke, I said, "Alright, Matt. Show me what you've got." His head shot up and he looked at me with wide eyes, like he had no idea I was there.

"Right, yeah," he stammered. Matt shoved the papers he had been studying in front of me.

As I shuffled through them, he spoke. "Cynthia Rogers," he motioned to the first picture of woman with fiery red locks and piercing blue eyes. "28 year old female, graduated from UCLA with a major in childhood education. Married Calvin Rogers two years ago." I had attended the wedding. She and Anna were good friends. I wondered why Anna hadn't mentioned her before, but I chalked it up to her not wanting to expand on my already overwhelming grief.

"Stacy Lee," he pointed to the next picture of a pretty Asian woman with long, jet black hair, fair skin, and dark brown eyes. "21 year old college student majoring in biochemistry. She had dreams of becoming a dentist. It was her spring break. She just recently broke up with her boyfriend." Stacy had been my lab partner in anatomy our senior year of high school. She was brilliant and we got along well. I adored her.

"Sanjana Gupta," Matt moved on to the third picture. She was a gorgeous Indian woman with thick black locks and bright green eyes that almost put Dean's to shame. Almost. "34 year old divorced woman with two young kids. She worked as a real estate agent in a few of the neighboring towns and stays in close contact with her ex-husband. He was the first suspect but his alibi checked out." Sanjana and her two kids frequented the diner. She always had a smile on her face and was always willing to give me advice in school and relationships. Her kids, aged 9 and 5, were rambunctious and sweet.

"And most recently, Macee Montgomery," Matt said quietly. I stopped and studied the picture as my heart twisted into knots. "46 year old female, worked at the local diner. Married two years, no schooling." He stopped there. He didn't need to go on. We knew who Macee was.

"So what's the connection?" Dean asked after a few moments of silence.

"Not sure yet," Sam answered with his eyes still glued to his computer screen. "They're all from different ethnic backgrounds, different age ranges, and varying marital statuses. Besides the fact that they were all from here and they're all women, I can't find anything."

"Char?" Dean looked at me, noticing my silence. "Did you know all of them?" I nodded.

"Really well."

"I know this is hard, Drew. But can you think of anything that could link them together?" Sam asked me.

"Besides the fact that I knew all of them? I don't know. I mean, I just talked to Stacy a few weeks ago. She-" I froze.

"Drew?" Sam looked at me. "Drew, what is it?"

"Oh my God," I muttered to myself as I quickly snatched Sam's laptop out from under his hands. I quickly logged into my Facebook and started scrolling. When I couldn't find the answers I was looking for, I started scrolling through my Twitter and Instagram. I even started reading through old texts. Slowly, the pieces fit together.

I knew the boys were getting impatient. I could feel their eyes on me as I searched.

"Char?" Dean asked after long moments of silence. "What is it? Did you find something?"

When I found the last bit of information I needed, I slowly looked up from the laptop.

"What?" Sam asked as he peered over my shoulder at the computer.

"They were all pregnant."

* * *

Thank you to all of those who have reviewed/favorited/followed this story! And thank you for your continued support. Please be patient with me as I know there are lots of unanswered questions (thank you to those who mention these in reviews as it brings to my attention a lot of things that I hadn't even considered), but I promise everything will be answered in time.

Ps. Happy almost one year anniversary of the uploading of the very first chapter of this story. I'm caught in a lot of feels rn.

Until next time xx much love

TeamNoSleep


	19. Chapter 19

**Drama incoming my dear friends. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 19

"Pregnant?" Matt asked. "Why would that be the connecting factor?"

"It makes sense if you think about it," I answered. I spoke faster and faster as I connected the dots. "Soul eaters. Women and their babies. Two souls. Double the meal, half the fight."

"Just when you think you've seen it all," Dean muttered under his breath.

"Okay, so we figured it out. How do we find their next target?" I looked around. No one seemed to have an answer.

"You're going to be our best bet," Sam told me after a moment. "You're from here. People know you and they trust you. They'll talk to you."

"So what? I just have to go around and ask people who's pregnant?"

"Probably," Sam shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Why don't we head back to the diner in the morning and go from there?" Dean suggested. "It's technically the most recent crime scene. And Betty and Anna seem like the type to know everything about everyone."

"It's a start," Matt nodded.

"Then it's settled," Sam shut the lid to his laptop in front of me. "We'll reconvene in the morning." As the three men stood up, I looked around wildly. What were they doing thinking about sleep at a time like this? We were on something good, I could feel it. I was hopped up on adrenaline and ready to kill some bad guys.

"Char, you coming?" Dean turned around in the doorway when he noticed I hadn't even stood up.

After a long moment, I nodded and followed him out. I wasn't happy about not being able to start right away, but I knew we wouldn't get any information this late at night.

Matt offered to let us stay the night, but I declined. I just wanted to get home and sleep in my own bed again. After all, I didn't live far.

"You did good, Drew," Sam turned around in his seat after we pulled out of Matt's driveway.

"Thanks, Sam," I gave him a small smile.

"We're going to get these things," he assured me. "Your home will be safe again."

"Will it? Is anywhere really safe anymore?" I was a bit taken aback by my sudden pessimism and I could tell by the look in Sam's eyes that he was too.

"There will always be monsters under the bed," Sam said slowly, carefully choosing his words. "But then again, we'll always be around to get rid of them." I didn't answer. I leaned back in the seat and thought back to a time when monsters were just scary campfire stories.

When we got back to my apartment, Sam made a beeline for the bathroom to get ready for bed. Meanwhile, I searched through nearly empty pantries, hoping for food.

"Hungry?" Dean teased.

"Starving," I groaned. "I should've eaten." As if by magic, Dean handed me two large tupperwares, filled with leftovers from dinner.

"Where were you hiding those?" I exclaimed, excitedly putting them in the microwave.

"In my hands?" Dean laughed. I stared at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. My stomach growled loudly and I quickly shoved the tupperwares into the microwave. Dean laughed again and retreated to the air mattress.

Within minutes, I had cleared out the leftover food.

"Glad to see your appetite is back," Dean commented. I could tell he was relieved. To be honest, I was too. I felt good about the progress we were making.

Sam walked out of the bathroom just as I shoveled the last bit of food into my mouth. Dean made a motion to get up and take his turn in the shower, but I threw my dishes into the sink and raced him there. I was ready to go to bed.

After showering and brushing my teeth, I changed into my pajamas and threw my sopping wet hair into a bun. I opened the door a crack to let the steam air out as I finished moisturizing. I passed by Dean on his way into the bathroom when I headed for my bedroom. He winked at me and I quickly hid my blush.

I curled up under my covers and instantly felt relaxed. There was no feeling quite like laying in fresh, cool sheets with freshly shaved legs and clean skin. After calling a quick "good night" to Sam through the door, knowing Dean wouldn't hear me over the sound of the shower, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Anna letting her know we'd be at the diner for breakfast. As I awaited a response, I heard the shower turn off. Dean hadn't been in there for more than five minutes and I wondered why he'd taken a shower when the water obviously hadn't had a chance to warm up after Sam and me.

" _Sounds good! We have so much to talk about still!"_ Anna's name and message flashed on my screen.

" _If only you knew_ ," I thought bitterly to myself. I connected my phone to the charger next to my bed and set it face down on the dresser. I pulled the covers tight around my shoulders and shut my eyes.

 _Something didn't feel right. My room was dark and quiet. Nothing looked out of order. And still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I threw the covers off of me, wondering just for a moment why I wasn't shivering against the brisk night air, and sat at the edge of the bed. I wondered at what point in the night had I changed out of my tank top and cotton pajama shorts and into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Better yet, why had I gone back to bed in jeans? I figured I'd go to Sam and Dean and see if they felt as unsettled as I did. No doubt they were already awake and preparing for the day._

 _The living room was empty. The air mattress was gone. Everything looked like it did before I had met the Winchesters. I was confused and continued on through the front door. I figured Sam and Dean were already loading up Baby and just hadn't told me so I could sleep longer. Lord knows I get cranky when I'm woken up in the middle of my sleep. But when I stepped outside, Baby was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't say what force compelled me to continue walking, but I did._

 _In the blink of an eye, I was at the diner. I didn't remember the diner being around the corner, but it didn't feel weird. The only thing that felt weird was that I'd been driving to work all these years when I could've just blinked and been at the front door._

 _The lights were off in the diner, which was unusual as it was a 24-hour diner. The flashing red "DINER" sign gave the parking lot and the inside of the diner an eerie glow. I heard a sloshing under my foot-the kind of sound that set my teeth on edge. When I looked down, I saw I had stepped in a puddle of dark red liquid._

" _Weird," I thought. The trail of blood formed a pathway inside the diner. I pushed open the doors and it was like a spotlight shone in the far right corner. At the booth sat a woman with blonde hair and kind blue eyes. Across from her, a man with ash brown hair and hazel eyes. Both looked at me with a smile and waved._

" _Mom? Dad?" I ran to them and was quickly enveloped by their familiar, comforting arms. It was like finally getting a deep breath of clean air._

" _They said you were dead," I whispered as I buried my face into my mom's soft cotton shirt._

" _We would never leave you, my love," my mother told me._

" _You're our whole world, darling," my father stroked my hair._

" _I have so much to tell you," I told them. "So much has happened these last few years."_

" _We know all about it," my mother pulled away and looked at me with kind eyes. "We've never left your side."_

" _We've been here the whole time," my dad smiled at me. I took a step back so I could see them—really look at them for the first time in what felt like forever. When I took a step back, I heard a squish that made me cringe._

 _I looked behind me. I looked at the bodies strewn across the floor. At Stacy. At Cynthia. At Sanjana. At Frankie and Mike. Liam and Alan. Betty, Anna, AJ, Paulo, and Macee. Their bodies piled on top of each other, like someone had carelessly thrown them aside. Lifeless. Sam and Dean appeared next to me, their eyes bleeding blood. Their faces pale._

" _It's all your fault," Sam told me. He and Dean each gripped my arms._

" _You could have saved them," Dean answered._

" _No!" I exclaimed pulling away. I spun on my heels, yelling to my parents we had to leave._

 _But they looked just as they had the last time I'd seen them alive. My mother, eyes bloodied, chest slashed open. My father, neck slashed all the way through; his head barely managing to stay atop his neck._

 _I screamed. Or I tried to scream._

" _You weren't here to save us," my mother said._

" _Where were you?" my father asked. "You weren't here to save us."_

 _And soon, every lifeless body in the room chanted, "it's all your fault. It's all your fault."_

I screamed. This time I knew I screamed. My throat burned, my lungs ached, and I could hear the fear in my own cries. I clamped a hand to my mouth as I slowly came to the realization that I had only had another nightmare. I quickly scanned the room, hoping Dean had heard my cries again and was waiting for me to seek his comfort. I was the only one there.

I kept my blanket wrapped tightly around my shoulders when I got out of bed. The only sound in the night was of the blanket sliding across the carpet.

In the dark, I could just make out the silhouettes of Sam on the air mattress and Dean on the couch. I curled up on the floor in the gap between the two of them. I felt safer there. Nothing could get to me as long as they were there. The monsters in the night were no match for the Winchesters. As I lay in the dark, listening to the gentle breathing of the two boys, I felt okay. Nothing could get to me as long as they were there. The monsters in the night were no match for the Winchesters.

But as I slowly drifted back to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't the monsters in the night I should be worrying about. Maybe it was the monsters in me.

Sam's stomach was growling before we even reached the doors to the diner. No one said anything about me having spent the night on the floor between the brothers. We went through our morning in silence.

"Look who it is!" Anna's excited voice rang through the air. "Look AJ! It's Auntie Drew!" My jaw dropped in excitement at the sight of his curly black locks, chocolate skin, chubby cheeks, and innocent brown eyes. Anna swooped her young son up in her arms; he whined as he clawed at the air for his unfinished pancakes.

"Do you remember who this is?" Anna looked at AJ and then at me.

"No way!" I exclaimed in the high-pitched voice I adopted whenever AJ was around. It had been months since I had last seen him. AJ giggled and buried his face in his mother's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Anna laughed. "You aren't shy."

"Maybe he remembers… the Tickle Monster?" I waggled my fingers at him, resulting in a shrieking laugh from AJ.

"Mommy, no! Save me!" Anna held him tighter to her as I gently tickled his chubby stomach.

"No!" he giggle-shrieked again, kicking against Anna's grip. "Mommy!" Seconds later, we decided the Tickle Monster had had enough. Anna set AJ down on the ground and he immediately waddled back to his pancakes. Anna let out a deep sigh as she brushed a loose strand of hair back and straightened out the white apron decorating her yellow uniform. We looked at each other and laughed.

"I can't believe how big he is," I told her as I watched him shovel as much pancake as he could into his mouth.

"I know," Anna sighed, looking longingly at her son. "He's already almost four." Dean awkwardly cleared his throat to remind us they were still there and still hungry. As if on cue, Sam's stomach growled again.

"Oh no!" Anna laughed. "Go ahead and pick a seat. I'll get some coffee and some menus for you."

"Good morning, Betty! Good morning, Paulo!" I called as we made our way to a back corner booth.

"It is _so_ good to see you boys again," Anna gushed as she set menus down in front of us and filled our coffee mugs. "There's a rumor going around that you two paid a visit to our boys in blue yesterday!"  
"Uh, yeah," I hesitated but the Winchesters seemed to be prepared.

"We just got a call from headquarters to check it out," Sam told her. "The FBI doesn't plan to get involved but they wanted to be sure the locals didn't need our help." It seemed kind of fishy, but Anna seemed to have bought it. She sighed and looked directly at me.

"I have never been more jealous of another human being. These two? Tall, dark, handsome, brothers, _and_ FBI? Honey, you hit the super jackpot." I blushed furiously and tried to hide my face behind a menu I had already memorized. We order pancakes with eggs and sausage. Knowing Matt would be there any minute, we made sure to get an extra plate for him. When everyone was busy doing their jobs we planned.

"How do we go about this?" I asked.

"We'll have to be careful. Alan said there are some people in town who know about the supernatural, but we don't know who. We'll have to be cautious when how we approach with our questions."

"Paulo has to know something, right? He's the one who found Macee, after all."

"We can't assume that. Anything could have made him change his story. Bribery, threats…" Dean answered. I couldn't imagine anything corrupting Paulo. But then again, I'd never imagined anything endangering my home. And yet, there we were. I scanned the diner, studying everyone in there.

"Do you think they knew? About Macee's baby?" I asked. Sam shrugged.

"You tell me. It's a small town; news obviously travels fast. Was this something Macee would have shared?" I put my face in my hands.

"I didn't even know she wanted kids. She never talked about it and she was 46. I just assumed." Betty came out with our food, followed closely by Anna with a fresh pot of coffee.

"Betty, dear, did you know Macee was pregnant?"

"Tragic, isn't it? She and Will were so excited."

"I didn't know she wanted kids."

"More than anything," Anna told me as she looked over at her own child. "They tried for so long." I looked down at m pancakes with a sick feeling in my stomach.

"Oh, boys," Anna changed the subject in the blink of an eye. "Would you mind talking to my son? He adores policemen and wants to be just like you two one day." I froze. Just like them? God, I hoped not. I hoped AJ never saw a monster for as long as he lived.

"Of course," Sam smiled kindly at her. She called AJ over and introduced Sam and Dean as policemen. His eyes sparkled excitedly before he ran back to his seat. He returned seconds later with a toy cop car. I watched silently as the three interacted. It should have melted my heart. The Winchesters were attractively good with kids. But I couldn't shake the pit in my stomach that formed when I thought of AJ with monster hunters. I loved Sam and Dean and I chastised myself for allowing the thoughts to enter my mind. But seeing them was like a physical representation of my life.

AJ: young, naive, curious, and dreamt of making the world a better place. And the Winchesters: representing the attractiveness of darkness. It was almost hypocritical. I prayed AJ would never end up like them, yet before I left to learn to be just like them, I was just like AJ.

I jumped to my feet, racing to the bathroom without any notice, to empty my stomach into the toilet. I squeezed my eyes shut as I leaned over the porcelain bowl, losing the dinner Matt had worked so hard to prepare. There was nothing left and still, my abdomen constricted, forcing painful dry heaving for what felt like ages. When I was finally finished, I wiped my mouth with toilet paper, flushed the toilet, and stood at the sink to rinse out my mouth.

When I returned to the booth, Sam and Dean eyed me curiously.

"Drew, honey, are you alright? Do you have morning sickness?" Anna held the back of her hand to my forehead as she eyed Dean playfully.

"No!" I exclaimed.

"Well, that's good," she giggled. "After all, one pregnancy brain is enough around here." She smiled widely at me as she gently stroked her belly. I looked from her face to her stomach and back again. I didn't think I had any food left in me, but something was forcing its way up. I spun around on my heels and barely made it to the toilet.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, head on over and check out of my rewrite of Serenity's story: Nothing But A Memory._


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

I put on my best face to congratulate Anna. She was glowing and AJ was so excited to be a big brother. I exchanged glances with Sam and Dean, and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. Anna was next.

Having lost my appetite after losing the contents of my stomach minutes prior, I sipped on water and joined Paulo in the kitchen. Matt joined Sam and Dean at the table and the three of them kept Anna and Betty busy. I just wanted answers.

"Hey Paulo," I leaned against the back counter as I sipped on my ice water.

"Ah, my darling, how are you?" he asked me cheerfully as he flipped an omelet with expertise.

"I'm alright, how are you?"

"Never better! The sun is shining, the food is good, and the company is even better." I couldn't help but smile. I watched for a few minutes as he cooked, admiring the way he handled the tools and food with such skill and grace.

I chewed on my lip to keep myself from blurting out the question that burned in my mind. I wanted to ease into my questioning, not blindside him.

"Can you tell me about when you found Macee?" Word vomit. Paulo froze mid flip and the omelet he had been working on crumpled into a sloppy mess in front of him.

"I thought she was sleeping," he told me after regaining his composure. "I was just locking up when I found her in the storage closet. I tried to shake her awake, but she wouldn't move. That's when I called 911." I scrunched my eyebrows together as I listened to his story. It felt too well rehearsed. Not like he'd told the story a million times before, but like he'd stood in front of a mirror and _practiced_ it a million times before.

"And you didn't see _anything_ that could have been the reason for her passing?" I asked slowly. Paulo didn't look at me. He simply shook his head and transferred the cleaned omelet from the stove to a plate.

"Not even a giant hole in the back of her skull?" The plate clattered to the ground and all eyes were on us. Paulo dropped to the floor before I could blink and was quickly picking up the food with shaking hands. I caught Sam's eye before I knelt down to help him.

The omelet wasn't nearly as pretty after falling. It was broken, contents spilled about, sitting unevenly and scattered across the plate. It looked like my heart felt. Paulo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with the hand not holding a customer's ruined breakfast.

"Tesoro mio," he whispered. "Tesoro mio, my treasure…" He shook his head over and over again, and when he finally met my eyes, it was like he had aged 10 years.

"You can tell me," I told him softly and put my hand on his arm.

"There's so much in this world you don't understand." His voice was strained, like it hurt him to say those words.

"I understand more than you think." How was I supposed to go about asking him about monsters? I couldn't just ask him out right. Paulo was the type to try to have you committed for crazy questions like that.

"You're so young," he muttered. "There's darkness you can't even begin to comprehend?"

"Like monsters?" Paulo's gaze immediately moved to the ground. He nervously pulled at his shoelace.

"People can be monsters," he spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"Not people monsters, Paulo. _Monsters_." There I went again with the word vomit. Paulo sat still for a moment, still refusing to look me in the eye. Slowly, he rose, putting the omelet plate on the edge of the stove. I stood up with him, waiting for his response in anticipation.

When he finally looked me in the eyes again, his brown eyes were clouded with tears.

"I prayed every day your innocence would never be taken from you like this," his voice shook. A pit formed in my stomach; I felt like somehow I had let him down.

I pulled him in for a quick hug and told him we would talk after his shift. I hoped he would still be able to focus. I'd dropped a bomb on him and it was still early in the morning.

I rejoined the boys, who all looked at me expectantly.

"He knows," was all I needed to say.

Betty and Anna refused to let us pay for our meals again. So when they were finished eating, I was dropped off at my apartment. They said I was too close. The case was taking a toll on me and I needed to distance myself. They told me to stay home and watch some movies while they did more investigation. They promised they'd update me when they returned.

I wandered around my apartment for what felt like hours. I tried to find a movie, but nothing appealed to me. I tried to read, but I was so distracted, I read the first line five times before giving up. I even tried to take a nap, but I ended up staring at the ceiling, wide awake.

In my pursuit for entertainment, I stumbled upon my old yearbook from my senior year of high school. I absent-mindedly flipped through the pages, looking at the smiling faces of people who had left this small town for college and had yet to look back. People I hadn't thought about in nearly three years. I flipped to a page dedicated solely for signatures and elegant blue cursive caught my eye.

" _There's no one else I'd rather have suffered through high school with. We made it! Love always, Stacy Lee."_ I quickly shut the book with a force that blew yearbook-smelling air at my face. I shoved the book back into my bookshelf and walked straight out the front door. Unlocking my bike from the rack it had been chained to for months, I started riding.

I wasn't sure where I was going, and I had no plans. I just peddled until I found myself at the little Starbucks my mom would take me to every Wednesday morning when school started an hour later. I looked over to an outside table with a closed green umbrella-the very one my mom and I sat at three years ago—now occupied by another mother with her teenaged daughter. I couldn't help but smile to myself, wondering if Starbucks Mornings were their tradition too.

The bell on the door chimed softly when I entered. A barista stood at the register, patiently waiting for me to make my decision. She looked to be about 16, a piercing decorating the right side of her nose, and blue tips accenting her blonde hair. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and kept her hat pulled down over her forehead.

I gave her a small smile before focusing on the menu. I wished it were still holiday season; I would've done anything for their peppermint hot chocolate. I settled for an iced caramel macchiato. If Dean were there, he would have teased me for being so basic. I smiled at the thought.

"That'll be $3.25," the barista, whose nametag read "Rachel," told me.

As I reached for my wallet, someone slid a $10 bill on the counter in front of me.

"Can we add a black coffee to that order?" he asked.

"Sure thing," Rachel answered, accepting the money and then handing back the change. I looked up to see Liam's smiling face.

"Oh, you don't have to-" I started.

"Don't stress," Liam winked. "It's on me."

"What's the name for the order?" Rachel asked. Her voice has dropped down a notch in volume and her cheeks were flushed, but she smiled giddily at him.

"Liam," he smiled. He was handed the receipt and we stepped off to the side to wait for our order.

"Can I pay you back?" I asked him. Liam chuckled and shook his head.

"No, you can't."

"Really, I don't mind." I reached for my wallet again, but Liam put his hand over mine.

"Let me pay for this one, and maybe I'll consider letting you pay for the next one," his blue eyes sparkled.

I cocked an eyebrow up at him. "Next one?" I teased. "What makes you think there will be a next time?"

Liam let out a deep breath. "Drew, I'm praying for one." I quickly looked down at my feet, biting my lip as I tucked my hair behind my ear.

"What are you up to today?" he asked me after a moment.

"I don't really have any plans," I told him. "What about you? Are you heading to work?" I looked at Liam, who was dressed in a pair of tan-colored jeans and a maroon long-sleeved shirt. He wasn't exactly dressed for work.

"It's my day off," he answered. "Care to sit with me?" I smiled at him. A boy behind the counter called Liam's name and handed us our drinks. We thanked him and took a seat.

"So tell me," I started as we sat down. He looked at me expectantly. "And be honest. Are you stalking me?" He let out a light-hearted laugh that was so contagious, I couldn't help but laugh along.

"It was just pure luck that I ran into you today," he answered. "And believe me, it was very lucky."

"Stop," I muttered shyly and took a sip of my coffee.

"No, really," he smiled. "I knew moving here would be an adventure, but… Well, anyway. How long have you lived here for?"

"Umm…" I thought. "Going on six years now. What about you?"

"Only about three months. I took a job at the local police station."

"Where did you move from?"

"New York City."

"What made you want to move to a small town like this? I'm sure it's not nearly as exciting at the city."

"I don't know," he looked me in the eyes with a cheeky grin. "I'm liking it more and more here every day."

We continued on like that for over an hour. The conversation flowed so effortlessly; it was like I'd known Liam my entire life.

I was in the middle of telling Liam about my time working in the diner when my phone chimed with a text alert.

" _Found something. Be back in 20,"_ Dean's text read.

"Oh, um," I quickly started typing back, asking what he'd found. "I have to go."

"Boyfriend calling?" Liam asked me.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I laughed as we both stood up.

"In that case," Liam held his hand out. "Can we do this again some time?" I chewed on my lip nervously.

"Don't make me beg," he gently reached for my hand, holding it softly in his. "Because I will."

I laughed and told him we absolutely could. He handed me his phone and I typed my number in. Liam walked me to my bike and got into his car as I rode off.

As promised, Sam and Dean met me back at my apartment exactly 20 minutes later.

"What did you find?" I asked.

"We think they're going to hit the diner tonight," Sam answered.

"Tonight?! Anna?" The two nodded in response. "Well, what are we sitting around here for? Let's go!"

The boys were convinced the soul eaters wouldn't attack until later that night. What kind of monster attacked in broad daylight? Not a smart one, that was for sure.

Sam and Dean tried to get me to go with them to get supplies for that night. Sam had been communicating with Bobby, who had had one encounter with soul eaters several years ago. They were pretty confident in what they needed to do.

They convinced me that Anna would be safer with Matt. He would stake out, as he was an experienced hunter and would be able to protect her much better than I would. We fought for a while before compromising. Sam and Dean would go shopping, and I would sit in the car in the parking lot with Matt.

It was really uneventful. When Matt wasn't talking, he was doing crossword puzzles. And when he did crossword puzzles, I would nap. My naps were plagued with nightmares, exact repeats of the one I had the night before. I couldn't sleep for more than half an hour at a time.

"You okay?" Matt asked me when I awoke from my third attempt at a nap with a start. I nodded. It was dark out already and I wondered if this time, I slept for a few hours. But maybe I just had no concept of time while sitting in this car.

"Fine."

"You kept calling for your parents," he mumbled. I rubbed my arm nervously. "Wanna talk about it?"

"They're dead," I said. I tried to sound short, but I couldn't help the despair dripping from my voice.

"Monsters?"

I shook my head. "No. No one knows who it was." Matt nodded, realizing I didn't want to talk about it.

"Monsters killed my sister," he told me. Matt usually had a very cheerful demeanor, and this serious tone was new.

"I'm so sorry."

"It was a ghost. It's how I got into this," he shrugged. "Seems so pathetic now. Here I am, killing vampires and hunting soul eaters but I couldn't save my baby sister from a ghost." His breathing was heavy. I put a hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him.

"She'd be proud of you," I told him. "You've saved so many lives. You saved mine." Matt smiled at me, but his smile quickly vanished when he saw something behind me. I quickly spun around to see a group of three people dressed in long, dark cloaks with the hoods pulled up over their heads. They stood closely together as they entered the diner.

"Now if that doesn't scream 'weird,'" Matt muttered as he quickly opened his door. I followed suit, meeting him at the trunk of the car to grab his guns and knives. I peeked through the windows while Matt called the Winchesters. The three figures were seated in the back corner booth we had occupied earlier that morning.

"They're five minutes out," Matt told me after he hung up the phone. "We're going to sit tight."

The next five minutes felt like hours. If these three were going to kill Anna, they weren't in any hurry to do so. They weren't even sitting in Anna's side of the diner. They sat in Betty's side. Betty eyed them suspiciously but didn't make any move to get close to them. Maybe she knew. She had lived there her entire life, after all.

The familiar purr of Baby's engine sounded from behind me and I breathed an audible exhale of relief.

"Finally," I muttered under my breath. "How do we kill them?" Sam and Dean hadn't even stepped out of the car before I was already questioning them.

"We don't," Dean told me through clenched teeth.

"What?" I was horrified.

"There are no known ways to kill soul eaters," Sam clarified. "Salt, guns, silver, wood, nothing. But we can trap them." He flipped through a book and showed me a symbol that looked like a bunch of triangles inside of a circle. I wasn't very impressed.

"That little thing is supposed to trap soul eaters?" It was clear I wasn't convinced.

"Guys!" Matt's voice sounded urgent. "They're moving!" I didn't even think before I burst through the diner doors. The three soul eaters were already on their way to Anna. The one leading the group gripped her shoulders, spinning her around to face her. She gasped in surprise.

"No!" I shrieked, running full force into _it_. I'm not very strong, but the force of my body weight slamming into him at full force was enough to make him let go of Anna and stagger back. I winded up my arm and punched him as hard as I could. My knuckles collided with his cheekbones with a thump. His hood flew off to reveal gray skin and empty sockets where his eyes should have been. I gripped my right hand in pain as I looked at him in horror.

Sam and Dean had already started working on the other two. The one I attacked stalked toward me and I backed away as quickly as I could. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see everyone who had been in the diner was running away. Good. Betty had pulled Anna back into the kitchen with Paulo, where they hid. I silently thanked God that AJ's father had come by to pick him up a few hours earlier.

Matt shot his gun at the soul eater who had set his sights on me. He let out a wail, but didn't seem fazed by the shot.

"Drew! Start drawing!" Matt yelled to me as he distracted the soul eater. Dean paused a moment from his own battle to toss me a bottle of red spray paint.

" _What the hell am I supposed to draw?"_ I tried to remember the symbol I had briefly seen but the adrenaline made it difficult to focus. I searched around, hoping Sam had left that notebook somewhere. He did. It sat on a table right next to the door. I ran to it as quickly as I could, shaking the spray paint bottle as I ran. Holding the book up for reference, I started spraying a circle on the wall.

"Char!" Dean grunted as he was thrown up against a wall. "Any time now."

"Okay, it's done!" I threw the empty spray can on the ground. "What now?"

"Move!" Sam bellowed as he hauled one of the soul eaters by the collar of his robe. He threw him into the symbol, where he collided with the wall with a thud. I looked around wildly.

"Why didn't it work?" Dean smoothly slid across a table and lunged at me, knocking me to the ground just as a soul eater sailed through the spot I just stood. I breathed heavily. "Thanks."

"Blood." Dean's breathing was more sporadic than mine was. "It needs blood." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matt drop to his knees. I screamed his name but he was already in the grasps of a soul eater. The monster stood over him, holding him up by his shirt. His jaw unhinged, revealing sets of teeth that reminded me too much of a Great White Shark. Rather than chomp down on my friend with his pearly whites, the soul eater just stood there. A ghostly white mist-Matt's soul-emanated from him and travelled right into the mouth of the monster.

"Dean!" I shrieked. Dean was on his feet and tackling the soul eater before I could say another word.

I briefly met eyes with Anna and Betty, who looked at me in horror. I wanted to run to them, to cling to their familiarity and protect them.

"Blood," I muttered and snapped myself out of it. I looked around the diner desperately, scanning for a kitchen knife someone left behind during his or her escape.

I ran to the first one I found, gripping it tightly in my hand when I sprinted back to the symbol on the wall.

Without hesitating, I brought the knife down against my hand, slicing through it. I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth, hissing against the pain.

"Get ready!" I yelled to no one in particular. Maybe myself, in case it didn't work. I slammed my bloodied palm against the wall.

Immediately, the symbol glowed so brightly, I had to shield my eyes. It was like a vacuum; the soul eaters were sucked right in and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The heads of my coworkers popped up from behind the kitchen counter, their eyes scanning the diner. Sam, Matt, and Dean looked at me with wide eyes, like the fact that I was the one who got rid of the soul eaters was a shock.

Slowly, everyone made their way towards me and as I looked at the scared and confused looks on my coworkers' faces, I couldn't help but think maybe getting rid of the monsters was the easy part.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, head on over and check out my rewrite of Serenity's story:_ Nothing But a Memory.


	21. Chapter 21

**Guys, the writer's block is insane. Feel free to PM me any ideas you have for monsters for our dear heroes to fight, case ideas, or scenes in general! Also I am SO GRATEFUL for all of the love I've been receiving about this story. You guys seriously rock.**

 **PS Happy Holidays to my Supernatural family!**

CHAPTER 21

Paulo was the first to reach me. He gripped me in a hug that was so swift and so tight, it sucked the air right out of my lungs.

"Tesoro mio," he whispered over and over. The straining in his voice increased with each word and suddenly he was crying. My sleeve soaked through with his tears; I couldn't find the words to comfort him, so I stood there, stroking his silver speckled hair while his body shook against me.

"What just happened?" Anna was the first to speak after a few moments. "What were those things?"

"Soul eaters," I blurted out. I scolded myself; I had wanted to ease into it. Anna stared at me, as if she were waiting for a different explanation.

"I'm sorry, _what_ eaters?" Anna folded her arms and shifted her weight to her left leg.

"Soul eaters," Sam answered for me.

"How… How do you know about soul eaters?" Betty looked directly at me.

"She knows," Paulo sniffled and lifted his head from my shoulder. "She knows about them all."

"Oh, my," Betty gripped the back of a chair and slowly lowered herself down. She stared directly at me, her eyes wide with horror. "Your parents…"

"What about my parents?"

"Someone explain what the _hell_ just happened!" Anna screeched before Betty could answer.

"They were after you," Dean told her. Dean obviously wasn't one to beat around the bush.

"Me?!" she screamed so loud I couldn't help but cringe. "Why were they after me?!"

"Because you're pregnant," Sam answered.

"Because I'm pregnant," Anna repeated. "What, monsters have something against pregnant women? Our cravings and stretch marks and _creating life_ too much for them?"

"It's the souls, Anna," I spoke softly. "You have two souls to your body right now-yours and your baby's. It's just more convenient as far as feeding goes."

"You're kidding. They actually wanted to eat my soul," Anna paused for minute. "Wait… Macee was pregnant too. Is that…?" She didn't need to finish her question. The looks on our faces was answer enough.

Anna's hand flew up to her mouth. Betty and Paulo lowered their heads. The rest of us were silent as we allowed Anna time to process. Slowly, she lowered her hand to her belly, stroking softly where her unborn child resided.

"I-I need to go home," she was breathing heavily. "I need to get home to my AJ."

"Let me take you," I reached out to touch her arm. My friend slapped my hand away and looked away. I looked at my hand, still hovering awkwardly in the air, in shock. Without another glance in my direction, Anna quickly stormed out the door.

I watched after her in despair. The hand she had slapped away stung with the pain and betrayal my friend felt toward me.

"Give her time," Betty gently put her arms around me. "She's going through the same thing you did when you first found out. Be patient with her."

"Chardonnay didn't panic for a second," Dean snorted. "She was attacked three times when we first met and she didn't even question why." I was silent.

"Three times?" Betty gripped my shoulders to face her. "By the same things?"

"All different, actually," Sam answered. "Interesting, now that you mention it." Panic stirred inside me, starting as a constant pinching in my gut and rising to my chest as it crushed my soul. Dean was right. In the first months I had known the Winchesters, multiple different parties of the supernatural had personally targeted me and I hadn't batted an eye. I wondered if I had just been in denial in those last months, like I had convinced myself all that time was just a dream.

The anxiety I felt reassured me those events were real; I had been attacked, and I felt the weight of the world crashing down on me. All of the fear and doubts I should have confronted months ago flooded back all at once.

"Drew?" Betty cocked her head to the side as she closely studied my face. I could barely hear her over the sounds of my own jagged, shallow breathing.

"Drew?" I think she shook me, for my field of vision, though fuzzy and distorted from tears, rattled. I felt like my skin was on fire, my throat burned, and my chest ached.

I clutched at my chest, and if I hadn't been unable to breath, I would have laughed at my situation. All of the monsters I had survived, and the coroner would say the cause of death was a panic attack.

"Char?" Dean's voice rang in my ears. Betty moved to the side when Dean took my hands in his. They were warm and comforting against my skin and I resented him slightly for holding my hands when they were as sweaty as they were.

"Everyone get out," Dean's eyes were locked on me. I was getting dizzy from lack of oxygen to my brain. I wondered how long I could go before I passed out. Would my lungs give out first? Dean yelled again for everyone to leave.

"Chardonnay, look at me," Dean's voice was soft and slow. "Look at me." I tried to keep my eyes on him, but I couldn't focus as I gasped for breath.

"Breathe, Char," Dean told me. I wanted to yell at him; if I could breath, I would.

"I-I can't," were the only words I managed to choke out.

"Sit," he commanded. Releasing his grip on one of my hands, he gently lowered me down until I was securely seated across his lap. He held my head firmly against his chest and pressed his cheek to the top of my head. He whispered to me that everything would be okay when the tears flowed endlessly down my cheeks. My entire body ached; I was exhausted and wished the lack of oxygen would just knock me out quickly. My head was already pounding.

"Chardonnay, I need to you focus on my voice. Can you do that for me? Focus on my voice and only my voice," Dean told me. I nodded and tried to hear his voice over the constant screaming in my head.

"Look around this room, and find five things you can see. Tell them to me." I drew in a shaky breath and looked at my surroundings. The diner was a mess; it was going to be a pain to clean up after that battle.

"I see… I see a table," the words were hard to speak. I could barely push them out over the knot in my throat. "I see… I see… I can't, Dean." I gripped his hand even tighter and squeezed my eyes shut, unable to focus on anything but my body and my mind dying.

"Yes, you can," he murmured and stroked my hair gently. "Four more things, that's all I need."

I forced my eyes open. "I see… I see a fork, and, um, I see a chair. There's a, um, a bird outside the window… And I see a lamppost in the parking lot."

"Good," Dean smiled. "I need you to do something else for me, okay? Can you find four things you can touch for me?" I didn't understand why he was asking so much of me. I was going to die if I didn't get oxygen in me soon. I used one hand to wipe the tears off my cheeks, and tried to focus on what Dean asked of me.

"Um… My hair. It'-uh-I can feel that. I can feel the tile under my feet. I can feel my phone in my pocket. Um… Your shirt. I feel your shirt against my cheek. And I can feel your hand against my head. I feel your other hand holding mine; I can feel _you_."

"That was more than four things, but I'll take it," Dean chuckled. "You're doing so well, Char. What can you hear? Can you think of three things you can hear?"

I sniffled, wiped more tears from my eyes, and settled against him. "I hear crickets outside, and the wind whistling through the door. I can hear your heart beating in your chest."

"What about two things you can smell?"

"It smells like burgers and sweat," I told him.

Dean laughed. "What about one thing you can taste?"

I licked my lips and thought. "Is it weird to say blood?" Dean laughed again.

"What's with all these questions? They're really weird," I looked at him.

"Maybe," Dean smiled. "But they helped."

"Helped…?" That was when I realized I was no longer crying. My breathing was regular, and my ribs had ceased its attempts at crushing my heart. Dean had stopped my panic attack.

"Dean," I cried as I threw my arms around him. He held me tightly to him and I was convinced I could have sat there in the middle of the diner floor, in Dean's arms, for the rest of my life.

"Thank you."

Two days passed and it appeared the threat of the soul eaters had been taken care of. Matt and the Winchesters were equally convinced we wouldn't have to worry about them for a long time. In fact, they were convinced there was no longer any threat to my home at all.

Paulo, Anna, and Betty had resumed work as normal. The talk of the town was still the three hooded figures that had attacked the diner. The Winchesters were the town heroes, as they were known as the FBI agents who were in the right place at the right time, and saved our beloved waitresses.

I took the opportunity to introduce the boys to my home. I brought them through my high school, and introduced them to friends my parents had made at local restaurants. It was a small town and there weren't many exciting things to share, but I took great pleasure in reminiscing.

I told the boys I had a surprise for them. I gave Dean instructions and he drove us there without too much interrogation. We pulled up to a cemetery.

"What are we doing here?" Sam asked me.

"I-I wanted to introduce you to my parents," I chewed nervously at my bottom lip. I was afraid they would be weirded out by it. Sam slung his arm around my shoulders and smiled at me.

"Lead the way." I wrapped one arm around his waist and held the wrist of the arm he had around my shoulders.

We walked for a few minutes before reaching my family's plot. Two headstones stood gracefully next to each other.

 _"Kendall James Ashley_

 _January 27, 1955 - June 29, 2003_

 _Not parted, only just apart; in memory, kept close in heart"_

" _Tristan Rae Ashley_

 _October 16, 1956 - June 29, 2003_

 _A beautiful life came to an end. She died as she lived, as everyone's friend"_

I knelt down in front of the plot where my parents' bodies had been laid to rest three years prior.

"Hi guys," I spoke. "It's been a while. You wouldn't believe the way my life has been lately. But I brought some friends to meet you. We've been travelling together lately. Fighting monsters, can you believe it? I guess it's a good thing you entered me in all those shooting competitions, Dad. They came in handy. Um, this is Sam and Dean Winchester."

Sam knelt down on my right and Dean knelt on my left.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Ashley," Sam said. "You raised a strong daughter. You'd be so proud of everything she is."

"We're grateful to you two," Dean chimed in. "For bringing Drew into this world. I'm sure the world is a better place because of her." Joy filled my heart. I was worried they would think it was weird talking to headstones, but they spoke as if my parents stood right in front of them. I would have liked to see where their mother was buried. Jess, too. I hoped one day they would feel comfortable enough with me to introduce me to them.

"She's a badass, you know," Dean laughed, but quickly stopped himself. "I mean, she's a good hunter." He leaned over and whispered to me, apologizing for swearing in front of my parents. He said it was because he was never very good at the whole "meeting the parents" thing. I giggled and assured him my parents wouldn't have minded the language.

"She's brilliant, and she's saved our lives more than once. It's incredible, really, how she's made her place. She fits in so well with us. Like it was fate that brought us together. Drew was meant to be with us," Sam smiled at me.

We carried on for a few more minutes. It was mostly just the boys showering me with compliments, trying to make me look good to my parents. I asked if I could have a few minutes alone, and the Winchesters agreed to meet me at the car.

"Okay, so here's the deal," I shifted to sit crisscross. "These past few months have been absolutely _insane_ , like, Mom, you would probably have a heart attack. I've been surrounded by so much destruction and death. And I can't help but wonder if you knew about it. Or how you'd react to this. I just need to know what to do with my life. I think I knew long before this that working at the diner won't get me very far in life. I used to think I could go about my entire life working there and I would be content. But I think I want more. I think I can do some real good with the Winchesters, you know? Hunting monsters, saving people. It's dangerous and it's scary, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that those boys would die for me. I'm afraid they will die for me though, with the way things have been going."

I left that cemetery with a pit in my stomach, as I had finally gained the clarity to do what I needed to do.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a Big Time Rush fan, head on over and check out my rewrite of Serenity's story: Nothing But A Memory._


	22. Chapter 22

**I hope y'all had a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year! I'll be honest, I've been thinking about this chapter for months and I have written and rewritten and rewritten it because I just couldn't figure out how to word all my ideas.**

 **I'm hoping this chapter answers some questions you guys have had about this story! Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me with questions and critiques to help make this story more enjoyable for all of us.**

 **Thank you all for your continued support, it means SO SO much!**

 **Also be warned, there is a solid amount of fluffy cute stuff going down in this chapter. I couldn't help myself.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 22

I would be lying if I said I had never doubted the reasoning behind my involvement with the Winchesters, for the sole reason that there was none. Upon returning home after visiting my parents' graves, I hid away in my room to silently evaluate multiple factors in the events leading up to the soul eater case. My conclusion was simple: I was impulsive. I had been seduced by the danger and attracted to the safety the boys provided. But I had a neon sign above me, bringing the attention of monster after monster, and putting us all in more danger far more often than I cared to admit.

I wanted to put off talking to Sam and Dean for as long as possible. I wasn't sure they'd understand my concerns and I knew the sooner we talked, the sooner my adventure would be over. They didn't seem to be in any hurry to speak to my either, as I remained undisturbed for the remainder of the day.

At one point, I heard Sam and Dean start arguing. Their voices grew louder and as soon as I heard Sam mention my name, I shoved my headphones in my ears and tuned them out. I didn't want to know what they were fighting about and I was even less interested in knowing if it was about me.

Sam knocked on my door and poked his head in. I hoped he hadn't been knocking for long because my music was so loud, I was surprised I'd even heard the one knock. I pulled my ear buds out when he started talking.

"Hey, I'm going to the diner with Matt to go check on Anna and get us some dinner," Sam told me. "Want anything?"

"Just a salad would be great, thanks," I answered with a small smile. He nodded and closed the door. I let out an audible sigh of relief, as a pit had already formed in my stomach. The conversation had been put off. So far, so good.

I heard the front door open and close shortly before two short raps sounded from my bedroom door.

"Chardonnay?" Dean called from the other side. "Can I come in?" I set my phone down on the bedside table and got up to let him in.

"What's up?" Dean didn't say anything. Not right away. He just looked at me with his bright green eyes, in a way that made my heart race. He clenched his fist and bit at his lower lip as if he were fighting some internal battle. After several seconds of Dean studying me, making my knees weak with the simple look in his eyes, he exhaled softly.

In one swift, smooth motion, he stepped towards me, took my face in his hands, and pressed his lips to mine. I was surprised at first, but quickly melted into him. I was convinced Dean was able to feel my heart pounding against my chest, but in that moment, I didn't care. I was lost in his kiss, falling deeper and deeper into him as his lips moved against mine.

He was the one to pull away, all too quickly, and pressed his forehead against mine as he gently stroked my cheeks with his thumbs.

Dean let out a soft groan before whispering to me, "Char, I'm sorry. I had to do that before…"

"Before what?" I leaned away to search his face. His eyes were sad and I wondered if he regretted kissing me.

"We need to talk." Dean took my hands in his and led me to the edge of my bed. We sat down, our knees pointed in the direction of the other. He kept his eyes on the carpet and it took him a moment before he could look at me.

"I… I think you need to stay here," he spoke carefully. I was a bit taken aback, although I wasn't sure why. He was voicing my exact thoughts. Somehow, though, it hurt so much more coming from him.

"What… What do you mean?"

"Sam and I-we've been talking. It was reckless of us to have brought you along in the first place." He kept his eyes on me. If he was nervous about this talk, he hid it well. "We never should have let you come. Especially not for this long."

"Then why did you?" My voice was barely above a whisper. I didn't have the right to be angry or upset, but I still found myself clenching my fists as negative emotions overwhelmed me. I tried to remain calm; I didn't want Dean to think he had any sort of impact on my emotions.

"I don't know," he sighed.

"What was I supposed to be do you?" I couldn't keep the icy tone out of my words. "You tried to hook up with me when we first met at the bar. Was I just supposed to be some conquest?"

"Of course not," Dean argued. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're very pretty—"

"Oh, my God," my voice quickly got louder. "You just wanted to get me in bed!"

"That is _not_ why we brought you!"

"Then _why_?" Hot tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. I absent-mindedly picked at a hangnail on my thumb as I furiously blinked back the tears. I was not going to show any sign of weakness. Not now.

"I didn't want to let you go," his voice was quiet. "I felt responsible for you somehow."

"God, I'm an idiot."

"It was a mistake. I'm sorry."

"Okay."

"Sammy and I have spent a long time talking about it," he explained. "We think you'll be safest if you stay here. Away from us."

"How long?" I questioned. "How long have you been considering this?" Dean was silent for a moment.

"A few weeks."

"I suppose this was the perfect opportunity then," I continued to pick at the hangnail. "You regret bringing me along, my home is under attack, you bring me home, kill some monsters, and go on your merry way."

"Please understand," Dean pleaded. He reached for my hands as I quickly pulled them away from him and faced the other direction. "It was reckless and stupid. I wanted to protect you because I felt responsible for you. But having you hunt with us, with no background in hunting whatsoever, was literally the most dangerous thing I could have done to you."

"It was a mistake. I got it," I hissed. "It doesn't matter. I wasn't coming back with you anyway." Dean was taken aback. He scrunched his face as the wheels turned in his head, while he processed what I said.

"What?"

"I made the decision earlier today. I was going to tell you tonight, but it seems you were already on the same page."

"You've got to be kidding me," Dean's voice was sharp. "You already decided you were going to stay and you have the _nerve_ to get mad at me for suggesting the same?" I folded my arms tightly across my chest. He wasn't wrong. But I was angry and stubborn and, in that moment, I would not allow Dean to be in the right.

"What does it matter? You said it yourself: it's dangerous."

"You're damn right it's dangerous! You've got a freaking target on your back," he threw his arms up. "Everywhere we turn, something is attacking you! We've had to save your ass more times than I can count. Demons, vampires, ghosts-I have never met someone with luck as bad as yours. You can't come with us. Sam and I have enough on our plate without worrying about you every time we turn around." He couldn't have meant what he said. It had to be guilt or anger. But his words cut through me like a knife.

"Then leave." Dean's harsh eyes immediately softened.

"Chardonnay, I'm so sorry." He reached for me again. "I didn't mean—"

"My name is Drew," I hissed. "And you need to leave." Dean looked at me again, his green eyes apologetic. My heart ached and I wanted so badly to hug him and tell him everything was all right. But it wasn't, and I was so angry.

"I'm sorry," he said again. In that moment, I was so furious I didn't care if he really meant it or not. Without another word or glance in my direction, Dean got up and walked out. I sat there for a few seconds, fighting the urge to run after him. Fighting the need to wrap my arms around his neck and feel his warmth. I was angry with him for making me feel the way I felt.

I heard the front door open again and before I could command myself to stop, I ran out after him.

Sam stood outside the passenger side of the Impala, with his hands in his jacket pockets. Dean shut the trunk and walked around to the driver's side. I hugged my arms tightly against my chest and blinked back my angry tears.

"Goodbye, Drew," Sam called to me. "I wish you all the best in life. For your sake and your safety, I pray we never cross paths like this again." If someone came along and ripped my heart from my chest, I was convinced it would have hurt less.

"For your sake and your safety, I hope I never lay eyes on either of you again," I answered. "Goodbye." Dean looked at me, his jaw set. Both of the Winchesters got in the car and drove away. The image of Baby's taillights leaving my driveway burned into my mind. I stood there for a few minutes.

I had overreacted. I knew that. I had no right to be upset at Dean suggesting I stay when I had already made up my mind. I had just hoped he would fight for me. I had hoped he would argue and convince me to go with them. That I belonged with them. That I was their missing puzzle piece and everything made sense when I was with them. I wanted him to tell me the world didn't seem so dark and scary when I was around. It killed me knowing they didn't feel the same way. It hurt me the most knowing Dean didn't feel the same way.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and walked back into my empty apartment. On the kitchen counter sat a to-go box from the diner. Months on the road. Countless laughs, tears, and memories, and all I had to show for it was a broken heart and a salad.

[Dean]

I could feel my brother's eyes on me from the moment we left Chardonnay's driveway.

"You okay?" he asked after a moment.

"Never better, Sammy," I lied. "Never better."

"What happened?"

"I told her what we decided we would. That it was dangerous. She's safer here. Didn't matter anyway. She already decided she was staying."

"Then what's the problem?"

I let out a deep sigh. "I said some things I shouldn't have."

"You and I both know this couldn't have continued. Not after what Bobby told us. She's dangerous and she doesn't even know it."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't suck," I told him. "I've never seen her so angry."

"It's for the best, Dean," Sam told me.

"She could've been safer with us," I argued. "We didn't have to leave her. She could have come with us and been safe."

"Dean, we both know we couldn't be around her any longer. Not until we figure this thing out."

"She doesn't even know, Sammy," I sighed. "Her parents kept a huge secret from her."

Sam was silent for a moment. "It's better this way." We carried on in silence, back to meet up with Bobby. Chardonnay was pressing more and more on my mind with every mile we drove farther away.

I felt as though she completed us. The Winchesters and Chardonnay. She was the missing piece we didn't know we needed. She was strong. Brave. Kind. I found myself thinking about how quickly she'd caught on to hunting. How confident and comfortable she was when she fired a gun and hit the target _every damn time_. I thought about her laugh and how hearing it relaxed me. Or how she'd grip my hand when we was afraid and the muscles in her body would relax the moment we touched. At night, when she tossed and turned as nightmares plagued her dreams, she would curl up against me in her sleep. I thought about the way she'd say my name and how I'd wished she'd say it over and over because I loved the way it sounded coming from her.

I thought about the way her lips moved against mine, and the feeling of her heart beating through her chest and her ragged breathing as we kissed. I saw the world in her eyes. Maybe because, in a way, she had become my world.

It was stupid. I felt protective of her. At least, that's what I convinced myself. In truth, it must have been a boyish desire to be around a pretty girl. She came with us because she was beautiful. She stayed because she belonged with us.

How dare I have left her like that.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, head on over and check out Serenity's story:_ Nothing But A Memory.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I only own Drew. I do not own the creatures, locations, or any other characters.**

CHAPTER 23

 _Three years later…_

[Dean]

"Sammy?" My words echoed through the dark tunnels. I was met with a silence that set my teeth on edge. "Sammy, where are you?"

"Here," my brother's voice sounded from somewhere in front of me. I held my flashlight in one hand and my gun in the other. The flashlight offered the only visibility in the blackness of the underground. I traced the walls with the light, finding only spray painted graffiti decorating my surroundings. A few feet ahead, I found my brother facing a dead end, standing side-by-side with our new friend, a legitimate angel of the Lord, Castiel.

"What'd you find?" I asked them. Sam let out a deep sigh of frustration.

"Nothing," he answered. "Dead end."

"Damn."

"Lilith is getting closer every day to unlocking the gates of Hell," Castiel spoke ominously. We had been hunting a demon-Satan's _first_ demon- Lilith for weeks. She had an ultimate plan to open the gates of Hell, and having spent four months down there myself, I wasn't about to let her unleash that on the world.

"Let's go back and regroup," Sam suggested. We agreed, although reluctant, and headed back to the surface, where my baby, my Impala, patiently waited for us. As we packed our weapons into the trunk, my phone beeped with a text alert from Bobby.

" _Got a job for you_ ," it read. " _If you're interested."_

"Bobby's got a hunt," I announced.

"You think it's a good idea?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "We're so close to catching Lilith."

I shrugged. "She ain't going anywhere. Might as well kill some monsters while we're at it." In reality, we weren't close to catching her at all. We had been met with dead end after dead end and after the repeated failures, I was itching to hunt something I knew I could kill.

We both looked to Castiel for the final verdict. He stood there, tall and straight-faced in his signature trench coat, and looked between my brother and me.

"It couldn't hurt," he answered. Without another word, the three of us headed topside, where Baby patiently waited for us at the end of the road. We unloaded our weapons into the trunk before settling in for another long car ride.

"Where to?" Sam looked at me as he clicked his seatbelt into the buckle.

"California," I answered as I read the text Bobby sent. "Looks like a college campus."

"California, huh?" Sam let out an unamused laugh. "We haven't been there in, what, three years?" Not since we left Chardonnay behind.

"We're going to Santa Cruz," I clenched my jaw as I gripped the steering wheel tighter, hoping the sudden sharpness of my voice would deter any further conversation.

"Santa Cruz? Isn't that where Drew is going to school now?" Conversation was not deterred.

"How should I know?" I asked him, a bit taken aback that he would know anything like that.

"Don't you talk to her?" Sam seemed surprised.

"She was pissed last time we saw her," I answered. "I didn't think she'd want to hear from me again." I saw Sam nod slowly out of the corner of my eyes and I was glad he didn't continue on.

After several minutes, Castiel leaned forward in his seat, poking his head through the spot between Sam and me. "Who's Drew?" My brother and I both briefly looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Cas," I sighed. "You won't be meeting her any time soon."

"Drew… is a girl?" Castiel's eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to process the strange ways of humans. Sam chuckled.

It took 18 hours to get to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where Bobby had noticed the greatest amount of mysterious disappearances occurred. Castiel popped in and out of the backseat throughout the ride, not noticing the heart attack he gave my brother and me each time he appeared out of thin air.

We set up shop at a small motel about a mile and a half from campus. Bobby didn't have much information for us but recommended we try investigating local lore for some leads.

I tried to help out where I could, but there was only so much research I could do from my phone. Sam was always better at researching anyway. He sat at the small desk, hunched over his laptop as he scrolled through pages and pages of news articles.

"Now this is interesting," Sam straightened up as he eagerly turned his laptop to face me. "Slenderman."

"Slender what?"

"Slenderman," Sam continued. "It's a legend about a being with long, black tentacles who puts his victims in a hypnotic state so they can't fight back, and once he's got them, they're never seen again."

"How do we kill this _Slenderman_?" I cocked an eyebrow, having a hard time envisioning an octopus monster. Sam shrugged.

"Let's go to the campus and see if we can get some information from the students." We suited up and tucked our custom made FBI badges into our front pockets before making the short drive to campus.

"$9 for parking?!" I cried. "Like people don't pay enough for actual education." Sam shrugged as he slipped his credit card into the parking machine.

"Isn't this how much you paid when you picked me up at Stanford?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure," I stammered. Yeah right, like I'd actually paid. My brother rolled his eyes at me. After paying an arm and a leg for a damn parking spot, we made our way through the unfamiliar campus, trying to navigate through the crowds and avoid getting run over by bikers and skateboarders.

We managed to stop one guy as he exited a building. He was tan with short blonde hair and looked oddly familiar.

"Excuse me," Sam got his attention. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure thing," he answered. "You guys lost?"

"Not quite," I answered as my brother and I showed him our badges.

"FBI?" his eyes widened. "Are you investigating those kids that went missing?"

"You've heard about it?" Sam asked. "What can you tell us?"

"Man, I don't know much. All I know is they went off to go hook up over in that park next to the old abandoned drive-in and no one's heard from them since."

"And this park, it's popular? Lots of traffic?" I asked.

"Only if you're trying to get some," the boy scratched his head and laughed. "It's a good make out spot. I take my girlfriend there a lot-sorry that was too much information."

"Well, do yourself and your girlfriend a favor and steer clear until we get this figured out, alright?"

"Yeah of course. You know, you guys look real familiar," he tilted his head to the side and I swear I could see the wheels turning in his head.

"Couldn't tell ya," I answered. "Here are our cards. Call us if you hear or think of anything else."

"Agents Jekyll and Hyde? Damn, you can't make this stuff up," he said as he observed our cards. "I thought you looked familiar but I definitely would remember names like these. I'll let you know if I hear anything."

We thanked him and parted ways. Sam and I spent the next few hours questioning students, who didn't have any helpful information to add. I shoved my hands into my pockets as we walked back to my car with the intention of heading back to the motel to regroup.

"So what do you think?" Sam looked at me. "Slenderman is real?"

"I think we'll have to crash a party to find out," I answered. "Think we'll get some free beer?" Sam rolled his eyes and picked up his pace.

"What?" I called after him. "How about girls? Ladies love a man with a badge!"

We showed up at the park just after 9 PM. I could hear the drunken laughter, cheers, and pounding music from blocks away. At the center was a wildly illegal bonfire and I hoped everyone would be too drunk to question why we weren't arresting anyone.

" _Man_ , why didn't I go to college?" I called over the cheers as I winked at a half-naked brunette as she passed me.

"Because you can't get a degree in beer, Dean." Sam gripped my shoulder and forced my attention away from the girl. He added under his breath, "Or girls."

"Well, who says we can't ask some questions? Starting with that one!" I jogged over to the brunette before Sam could protest further.

I called over my shoulder, "Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Sam let out a deep exhale and turned away from me.

"Excuse me?" I called to her. She clumsily turned around, causing her drink to splash out of her cup.

"Hi," she looked up at me with glazed brown eyes. I grinned. "I'm Jackie." She stuck out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Jackie. I'm-" Before I could finish my sentence, someone gripped my forearm and yanked me away.

My heart left to my throat and suddenly, I couldn't hear the music or the cheers.

"What the hell are you doing here?" her voice was like music to my ears. I met her angry blue eyes.

"Um, excuse me?" Jackie peered over my shoulder. "We were talking."

"Not anymore," she hissed. "Get lost." Jackie scoffed and looked up at me.

"Beat it," I told her, without even glancing her way. She let out a frustrated shriek and stormed off. With Jackie out of the way, I was able to really take her in. She had lined her angry blue eyes with dark black makeup, which was new for me but looked amazing on her. Her blonde hair, illuminated by the fire, thrown up in a messy bun. The white tank top that had risen up on her stomach, her jean shorts, and her black sneakers. She looked so. Damn. Good.

"Drew?" Sam's voice interrupted my thoughts. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just asking your brother the same thing," she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "But he's been too busy staring at me to answer."

"God, it's good to see you," I breathed. Drew's eyes narrowed.

"Oh my God, you guys are the FBI agents," she slapped her palm against her forehead. "Liam said he ran into you guys." I barely heard what she was saying. I was overwhelmed by the need to just be with her-to feel her. I took a step forward and wrapped my arms around her on one swift motion. She stood frozen in my arms but I didn't care. Until I thought about what she had said.

"Wait a second, blonde boy band is Liam? You're the girlfriend he brings here to hook up?"

"He told you that?" she looked horrified as she pushed me off her. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously? That guy isn't even your type."

"Yeah?" she cocked an eyebrow and challenged. "And tell me, Dean Winchester, what exactly _is_ my type?"

"I'd say ruggedly handsome men with cool cars, good taste in music, and extreme skill in firearms," I winked. I couldn't help the smirk that tugged at my lips. Chardonnay opened her mouth-no doubt to make a snarky comment-but quickly shut it when her Justin Bieber wannabe boyfriend walked over and threw his arm around her shoulders.

"Babe," he exclaimed with drink in hand. My entire body tensed up. "These are the guys I told you about! The FBI agents!"

"We've met," she answered as she took his hand in hers. "They were the ones that helped us back home all those years ago." Ken doll's eyes widened.

"I knew you looked familiar!"

"Well, sorry we couldn't be of more help to you, _agents_ ," Char spoke through gritted teeth. "Let's go, Liam."

"Wait, weren't you guys friends?" NSYNC's lost member questioned.

"Nope," she answered without skipping a beat and ushered her boyfriend away.

"Chardonnay, wait!" I called after her. I shouldn't have; the words just slipped out. But I missed the way it rolled off my tongue. She stopped in her tracks.

I watched the steady rise and fall of her shoulders, almost as if I was in a trance. Seconds felt like hours as the sounds around us dulled to a hum and once again, she was all I could see. She spun quickly on her heels and stomped towards me with a renewed fire in her eyes.

She stopped mere inches from my face.

"It has been _three years_ , Dean Winchester. After everything we went through, after everything you said... _three years_ and you didn't bother to reach out. Like I never even mattered. You do not get to just waltz back into my life like nothing happened and you do not get to call me that." Her eyes glistened with tears and the pit of guilt I had shoved aside three years ago ate away at me. "So finish your case, and do what you do best. Leave."

I couldn't stop myself. "Char…" I knew better, but it was instinct. I reached for her, to comfort her, to stop her tears. She slapped my hand away.

"Screw you, Dean."

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, head on over and check out Serenity's story:_ Nothing But A Memory.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

[Drew's POV]

My blood boiled; I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks and burning my ears. Dean knew better than to antagonize me. How dare he show up here, acting like that, _looking_ like that. I curled my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms. Completely wrapped up in my thoughts and consumed by my fury, I walked right past Liam.

He hooked his arm around my waist and I instantly felt relieved. I took a deep breath through my nose as I leaned into him. He must have sensed my tension—he could read me like a book—and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

"I remember them now," Liam laughed lightheartedly. "When we first met, outside the police station back home, that guy looked like he wanted to punch me in the face for talking to you. And Drew, let me tell you, that look has _not_ changed."

"He wouldn't dare." I couldn't help but laugh. Before I could talk myself out of it, I found myself peering over my shoulder for one last look at the Winchesters. They stuck out like a sore thumb against the rest of the college crowd. Sam met my gaze with the same puppy dog eyes that could have convinced me to do anything. Dean stared after me, with his hands shoved in his pockets, his gaze unwavering.

"Are you okay?" I redirected my attention to the front of me when Liam, once again, brought me out of my thoughts.

"I'm not really in a party mood anymore," I answered. "Do you mind if I just go home?" Liam laced his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand gently in a silent reassurance. We continued to walk through the park in silence, dodging vomit piles and drunken friends.

Liam lived in a small apartment a few blocks away and I planned to stay with him, as I didn't want to spend the night alone.

"Wanna talk about it?" Liam's gentle voice broke the silence. I shook my head.

"Not really. It's a long story." He nodded in understanding and while he didn't say it directly, I knew it bothered him. In truth, I couldn't tell him if I wanted to. He didn't understand the world of monsters and I felt it my duty to protect him from that.

It was close to 10 PM when the two of us arrived at Liam's apartment. He excused himself to shower while I rummaged through my designated drawer for something else to wear. I found a pair of cotton pajama shorts and dug through Liam's closet for a long-sleeved sweater.

"Is that my sweater?" Liam's voice sounded from behind me. I turned to see my boyfriend of two years, dressed only in a pair of boxers, towel-drying his blonde hair.

"No," I teased. Liam cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? That looks like my sweater," he flashed a cheeky grin and returned to the bathroom.

" _It's_ my _sweater now_ ," the greedy thought entered my mind as I had already decided I had no intentions of ever returning it. I picked up the remote to Liam's TV off of his desk on my way to the bed and slipped under the comforter. I finally settled on a rerun of _Buffy The Vampire Slayer_ , finding it almost comically fitting for the night I'd had. When Liam joined me, I immediately snuggled into his side, relishing in the comfort his presence provided.

"I didn't know you watched this show," Liam said as he draped his arm behind my head.

"I used to. A long time ago."

Images flashed across the screen, but I didn't see them. As the title suggested, I'm sure Buffy slayed some vampires. But all I could think about were the two other vampire slayers who'd come to my rescue and wiggled their way into my heart. My mind wandered, bringing me back to the time I'd sat in run-down motel rooms all across America, trying to watch TV while wondering if Sam and Dean would come back from a hunt alive. Back when we were Sam, Dean, and Chardonnay, rather than Sam and Dean, and then Drew.

" _Chardonnay, if you don't get your ass in this pool in the next 10 seconds, I'm pulling you in!" Dean taunted from the motel pool somewhere in Florida._

" _It's cold out, Dean," I whined. "I'm not even dressed for swimming!"_

" _So what?" Dean's lips curled up into a crooked smile. "Skinny dipping is my favorite pastime."_

" _Dean!" Sam scolded his brother as he sent a splash his way. Dean's arms flew up instinctively in front of his face, as if that would've stopped the wave._

" _What? You know you love it, Sammy," Dean laughed._

" _Not with my brother," Sam's face twisted in disgust. Dean's face slowly fell as Sam's words sunk in. I couldn't contain my laughter and clutched at my sides as they started to burn. Dean shot me a look and swung his arm, sending a splash of water at me._

" _Dean!" I shrieked as the cold water hit my bare legs. Goosebumps immediately appeared where the water droplets clung to my skin._

" _Oh, damn, did I get you wet?" I narrowed my eyes at his fake concern. Dean hoisted himself up out of the pool, leaving wet footprints behind as he stalked toward me._

" _You stay away," I warned him. He continued closer and I curled back farther against the lawn chair. I hugged my knees to my chest, but didn't dare break eye contact with him. Dean put both hands on either armrest and leaned in close. Cold water dripped from his chest and onto my legs, but this time I didn't complain. Dean's face was inches from mine and the devilish smile playing at his lips gave away his intentions._

 _As quickly as I could, I ducked underneath his arm and attempted my escape. As I should have guessed, Dean was one step ahead of me and wrapped both arms around my waist._

" _Dean!" I cried. "I swear to God if you don't let me go!"_

" _Since you're already wet…" Dean couldn't get the sentence out before he had already started laughing. "Sammy, catch!" Without another word, Dean tossed me into the pool, right into Sam's waiting arms._

 _Due to Sam's large stature, only my feet and my butt dipped below the surface of the water._

" _Oh my God, you are so dead!" I yelled at Dean as I clung to Sam's neck. My entire body shook against the sudden cold and the goose bumps had spread across my body. "Put me down, Sam. I have to go kill your brother."_

 _"3...2...1...Go!" Sam and Dean each picked up a fork and immediately began shoveling piles of apple pie into their mouths. I watched in extreme curiosity and amusement as they somehow managed to keep fitting more and more pie into their already pie-filled mouths. Were they even chewing?_

 _15 seconds later, Dean seemed to be pulling ahead, with Sam following closely behind. I quickly picked up a can of whipped cream, shook it, and squirted a big pile on Dean's pie. He quickly looked up at me, mouth overflowing with pie, shooting me a look that screamed, "Are you kidding me?" I couldn't help but laugh as a chunk of piecrust spilled out of his mouth._

 _10 second later, Sam was pulling ahead. And within the minute, both pie plates were completely empty._

 _"It was a close one…" I sighed. "But I'm going to declare the winner: Sam Winchester!"  
"What!?" Dean roared as Sam cheered. _

_"Sucks to lose," I shrugged. Sam raised his hands above his head, faking crowd cheers. Dean sat back in his seat and pouted with his arms crossed._

 _"I definitely won. Where are the cameras? I want to see it."_

 _"There are no cameras, Dean. Don't be a sore loser."_

 _"Come here, Drew. I'm claiming my prize," Sam smiled. I obliged and held my arms out wide to hug him. As he brought his arms around me, he smashed a handful of whipped cream against the side of my head._

 _I shrieked and jumped away. "Sam!" I exclaimed. "But I dubbed you winner!"_

 _"And I'm dubbing you the Whipped Cream Queen," Sam doubled over with laughter._

 _"Oh you're done for," I smirked and lunged for the can of whipped cream on the table. Dean quickly snatched it away before I could reach it and sprayed it in my hair._

 _"Dean!" He continued to chase me with the can and I sought safety with Sam. In hindsight, I should have known better than to trust the one who started it all._

 _I could have sworn we'd only had one can of whipped cream, but Sam pulled one out from behind him and sprayed whipped cream on the top of my head._

 _There was no longer a safe place. My only hope was to hold out until the cans were empty. We had entered full on whipped cream war._

 _"Please understand," Dean pleaded. He reached for my hands as I quickly pulled them away from him and faced the other direction. "It was reckless and stupid. I wanted to protect you because I felt responsible for you. But having you hunt with us, with no background in hunting whatsoever, was literally the most dangerous thing I could have done to you."_

" _You've got a freaking target on your back," he threw his arms up. "Everywhere we turn, something is attacking you! We've had to save your ass more times than I can count. Demons, vampires, ghosts-I have never met someone with luck as bad as yours. You can't come with us. Sam and I have enough on our plate without worrying about you every time we turn around."_

" _Goodbye, Drew," Sam called to me. "I wish you all the best in life. For your sake and your safety, I pray we never cross paths like this again."_

Tears stained my cheeks and I was grateful Liam had already fallen asleep, as I wouldn't be able to explain myself. _Buffy The Vampire Slayer_ had long since switched to some soap opera. I snatched the TV remote up off of the bedside table and pressed the "off" button.

Surrounded by sudden darkness, I quickly shut my eyes before they could adjust and turned towards Liam. In his sleep, he pulled me in closer to him.

" _I promise you, I'll never leave you again_ ," Dean's broken promise haunted me in the dead of the night.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, check out Serenity's story:_ Nothing But A Memory.


	25. Chapter 25

**W O W. It's been a million years and I'm SO sorry. But I'm back y'all.**

Chapter 25

The crickets did their best to lull me back to sleep—I'm sure that was their intention as they sang through the night. I must have been lying in that bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, for hours.

Three years prior, I had locked myself in my apartment and cried myself to sleep every night for a week. I spent the following months piecing together my broken heart, nursing my pride, and reestablishing who I was without the Winchesters. I had finally stitched together a life I was proud of, and a life I knew my parents would be proud of. I had been accepted to college, I had a steady relationship with a good man, and best of all, I had stayed clear of all things that go bump in the night.

Sam and Dean Winchester were merely a notch on my belt; they were a speck in my rearview mirror. At least, that's what I had convinced myself. In reality, their reappearance had shaken me right to my very core. With just a look and a short exchange of words, I was once again the 21-year-old broken-hearted Drew I had worked so desperately hard to forget about.

I watched the clock change from 4:15 AM to 4:16 AM. I blinked, and suddenly Liam's 5:30 alarm was screaming at us to wake up. Liam, who had been asleep on his side facing away from me, let out a loud groan and rolled over to pull me against him.

"Five more minutes," I could hear the pout. I looked over my shoulder and kissed his forehead.

"Good morning," I whispered as I lifted my arm up to stroke his hair.

"Mmm, morning," he slurred. A few seconds passed and I feared he would fall back asleep. Just as I was about to gently nudge him awake, he let out a deep exhale and threw the covers off him. With his eyes still closed, he sat at the edge of the bed, clearly contemplating just how important this job was to him. Another few seconds passed and he trudged off to the bathroom.

I shook my head with a light chuckle, and lay back down, pulling the covers tightly over my head. I didn't have class until 10 and I needed every second of sleep I could get. A few minutes later, I felt the weight of Liam's body as he jumped back on the bed.

"Good morning!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Get off me!" I whined. "I don't have class until 10, let me sleep!"

"Oh but Drew, you have to look at the sunrise! It's almost as beautiful as you." I rolled my eyes, refusing to move.

"Alright, sleepy head. I'll see you after work," he squeezed his arms around my body through the thick comforters and got up.

"Just stay here," I pouted.

"Don't tempt me," Liam winked as he buttoned up his uniform. With one more kiss to the forehead, he was out the door and I was alone in his room.

I snuggled deeper into the mattress, pulling the thick comforter tightly around my shoulders. I inhaled deeply, taking in the reassuring scent Liam left behind. The more I thought about Liam, the less I thought about Dean, and that was _exactly_ how I wanted it.

Under normal circumstances, I probably would have woken up in time for class. But considering the complete lack of sleep I'd had the night before, I decided I shouldn't take any chances because I really needed to stop making excuses to ditch class.

I let out a deep exhale and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. It was already 6 AM, and I had three text notifications. One from Liam, wishing me a good rest and reminding me how much he loves me. One from Sam, begging for me to hear them out. And one from Dean, with four simple words: _"I've missed you, Chardonnay."_ Rage and depression welled up inside me, filling my chest, clouding my thoughts.

I quickly set an alarm for 9 AM, slammed my phone back down on the nightstand with unnecessary force, and dramatically threw the covers over my head.

I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling Liam's scent from the sheets, shoved all thoughts of Sam and Dean from my mind, and thankfully, drifted off to a deep and dreamless sleep.

Well, long nap. My shrill alarm was the second unwelcome wake up call I'd gotten that morning. I let out a loud groan and turned off the alarm. As I lay back against the pillow, I contemplated just how important going to class really was. I pondered for a few minutes as I scrolled through my phone, updating myself on all social media postings since last night. Pictures and videos from last night's bonfires filled my Snapchat, and made for quite the entertaining morning.

By 9:15, I'd managed to convince myself that class was indeed important and I forced myself out of bed. It took a lot of mental nudging to get myself to change out of my pajamas and back into the jean shorts I wore the night before. I refused to change out of Liam's sweater and told myself I would just go home after class to change into a more weather appropriate shirt. And maybe take a nap.

I yawned. Scratch that. _Definitely_ take a nap. I grabbed Liam's extra longboard and my backpack and headed to campus.

The morning dragged by slowly. Classes were uneventful and truth be told, I didn't pay attention to a single lecture.

I skated back to my apartment after my last lecture ended at 2. Part of me scolded myself for not changing out of Liam's sweater as the California heat beat down on me. My roommate wasn't home, although she usually wasn't. She was usually at her boyfriend's house, like I was usually at Liam's. Honestly it was a miracle we still paid rent for a place we literally just kept most of our stuff.

I had just changed into a tank top and settled down on the couch when my phone buzzed with a text from Liam.

" _Babe!"_ it read. " _Have you heard of the Slenderman game?"_ I rolled my eyes and texted back that I hadn't heard of it. I'd assumed it was another one of his nerdy video games. Liam always said he had two great loves: video games and me. Not necessarily in that order.

" _It's some spooky game. We're playing it when I get off work."_ I agreed and settled back on the couch under a thick blanket and closed my eyes.

My phone buzzed one more time. _"Have a good nap, my love. I love you more than life."_ I smiled. I hadn't even told him I was going to take a nap. He just knew me that well. Or maybe I was just extremely predictable, but the sappy romantic in me hoped it was the first.

I'd drifted off to a dreamless sleep, and was abruptly woken up when the couch dipped under the weight of another person. I forced one eye open, squinting against the light, to see Liam, no longer in his uniform but in a t-shirt and basketball shorts, wiggling his way in between the couch and me. I scooted forward slightly to give him room, and groaned as he continued to wiggle. The constant shifting was disrupting my sleep and I needed Liam to settle down so I could cuddle and go back to sleep.

When he'd finally settled down, he wrapped one arm tightly around my waist and settled the other under my head in a makeshift pillow. He planted a kiss behind my ear, and that was the last thing I remember before waking up again 2 hours later.

My naps always lasted longer than Liam's, but that never seemed to bother him. He seemed perfectly content to lay unmoving, watch Netflix, and cuddle with me for however long it took for me to wake up. Even after I woke up, we often would spend the rest of the night just being together on the couch.

"Didn't you want to play that game?" I grumbled sleepily.

"Oh, good morning Sleeping Beauty!" Liam cooed and planted a deep kiss on my cheek.

"Shut up," I laughed. I couldn't even fake being annoyed.

"Do you want to play the game now?" he asked. I nodded and he scrambled off the couch in search of my laptop.

Liam sat back on the couch, with the laptop on his lap. I nuzzled against his side, wrapping my arms around his arm and rested my chin against his shoulder. He opened up a website that looked like it had been made by a bunch of teenagers with way too much time on their hands. We read through the brief instructions and pressed "Start Now."

It was creepy to say the least. The silence of the forest, the suspense of the darkness, and of course, the creepy figure that set my anxiety on overdrive.

We took turns playing the game, trying not to get captured by Slenderman.

"You know, there's a rumor going around that Slenderman is the reason people are going missing," Liam said casually as he watched me collect a letter.

"Is that so?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well you know. People are scared and they're looking for someone—or some _thing_ —to blame," Liam's cop side came out. "If only it were that easy."

"Easy?" I let out a half-hearted laugh. "How would it being Slenderman make it easier?"

"Well if it were Slenderman, we'd know who it was," Liam shrugged. "Too bad he isn't real."

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Too bad." Thank goodness, honestly. I'd probably lose my mind if Slenderman were real on top of everything else. I'd never mentioned my past with the Winchesters to Liam. As far as he was concerned, I'd travelled across the U.S. with just a simple desire to travel after my parents passed. Over the last three years, I'd done my best to protect Liam from that knowledge. As a police officer, he dealt with human monsters on the daily. He shouldn't have to worry about the truth behind campfire scary stories too.

I let Liam play a few rounds in a row while I thought in silence. If vampires and werewolves and ghosts were real, why wasn't Slenderman too? What if Slenderman wasn't just made up?

"What's the deal with this Slenderman legend anyway?" I tried to sound nonchalant, despite my heart pounding out of my chest.

Liam shrugged. "I guess this guy like hypnotizes people and kidnaps them or something. No one knows for sure because once someone sees Slenderman, they're never seen again." The end of his sentence twisted to a teasing tone as he gently nudged me. I let out nervous chuckle and eyed my phone on the table.

Without thinking, I dove for the phone and dialed a number with shaking hands. The phone ringing competed to be heard over the sound of my beating heart.

"Char?" Dean's familiar voice sounded from the other end. My breathing quickened and I was barely able to choke out the word.

"Slenderman."

* * *

 **I promise I'm going to do my best to upload as often as possible but with midterms and _writer's block,_ I'll just need y'all to be patient with me :) I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, check out Serenity's story:_ Nothing But a Memory.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

I kept the phone call short and sweet. As much as I wanted the Winchesters to find and stop the monster involved, I also wanted to minimize my interactions with them. Dean said Sam believed Slenderman to be the problem as well and they would look into it. I hung up before he could say anything else.

Liam asked who I was talking to once I got off the phone, and I told him it was just a friend who was asking about the video game Liam was showing me. He didn't press. We decided to order in pizza and spent the rest of the night lounging about, eating pizza and watching movies.

We considered going out to party considering it was Friday night, but having just celebrated Thirsty Thursday the night before, we decided being antisocial lazy bums suited us just fine for the night.

"Will you stay here tonight?" I asked him. It wasn't unusual for us to spend multiple nights in a row together. In fact, it had been weeks since I'd spent a night alone.

"Always," Liam told me as he planted a kiss on my forehead. I left him on the couch while I retreated to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. When I finished, I replaced him on the couch.

Minutes later, Liam returned smelling intoxicatingly minty fresh. He picked me up off the couch in one swift motion and carried me to the bedroom.

He held me close to him, showering my face and neck with kisses.

"I love you," he murmured in my hair.

"I love you more," I whispered back. I faced him and nuzzled my face into his chest. I inhaled his musky scent, closed my eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

A shrill scream broke the silence of the night. Liam jolted awake and looked around the room wildly. We looked at each other through the darkness, neither of us making a sound. We were met with complete silence, as if even the crickets were too afraid to continue their songs.

It may have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but I swore the room got darker, like the moon was hiding. Liam rubbed the palms of his hands against his eyes and looked at me.

"Probably just some drunks," I whispered. Liam paused for a second, but nodded and yawned as he leaned back into the bed. He pulled me against him and simultaneously pulled the comforter tightly around me. I was wide-awake, and listened to the complete and utter silence. Liam may not have been bothered, but I had been around that exact kind of silence enough times to know better.

It was no coincidence this eerie quiet happened the night after the Winchesters appeared and the night I discovered Slenderman.

A few more minutes passed and I started to doubt myself; I wondered if I was just being paranoid.

And then another scream filled the air. This time, I quickly dipped my hand underneath Liam's pillow and gripped the gun he had stashed there.

"Drew!" Liam reached after me but I had already jumped off the bed and was halfway out the door. Barefoot and armed, I ran through the hallway, down the stairs, and found myself in the parking lot behind the complex.

"Drew, what the hell?!" Liam followed at me heels. I quickly shushed him and scanned the parking lot. Nothing. I continued to walk through the parking lot, unsure of what exactly I was looking for. Slenderman? College kids just being dumb? I hoped to at least find the source of the screams.

We were met with nothing.

"What is going on with you?" Liam was exasperated.

"Nothing," I sighed after a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little one edge. Seeing Sam and Dean again… It must have affected me more than I thought."

"Sam and De-you mean those FBI guys? What are you not telling me?" I bit at my lip nervously. It wasn't that I didn't want to tell him. In truth, I didn't _know_ what I wasn't telling him.

" _What is that thing?"_ the scream was closer, frantic, and her words were fast and shrill. Liam immediately straightened up and listened.

"Give me the gun," Liam commanded. I responded by gripping the gun tighter.

"Drew," he hissed, this time through gritted teeth. "Give. Me. The. Gun." I turned to look at him for a brief moment, knowing if I gave him the gun, it could result in the death of both of us. I chewed at the skin on the inside of my lip and crept in the direction of the scream.

"Drew!" Liam hissed. "Drew! Get back here!" I ignored him as I continued on, walking faster and faster the longer I was met with silence.

As I passed the edge of the parking lot, past the last car, I was knocked to the ground from the side.

"Ow!" I muttered against the heavy weight on top of me.

"Drew!?" Sam's exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently the same thing as you," I groaned as I shifted to my back underneath him. "Trying to find out who's screaming."

"It's Slenderman," Sam answered breathlessly. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. "He's after this girl. We managed to intervene but he's persistent."

"Are salt bullets working?"

"They're helping deter it but they aren't killing it."

"Got any extras?" Sam rolled to his side and unloaded a handful of salt bullets from a compartment in his belt and handed them to me. "I'll see you out there."

"Sammy!" Dean's voice boomed from the distance.

"Stay safe, Drew," Sam sent one last look my way before running to assist his brother. I unloaded the bullets from Liam's gun and reloaded with salt bullets as quickly as I could. Liam had caught up to me and knelt down in front of me, looking me dead in the eye.

"You need to start explaining." He noticed the bullets littered across the floor around me. "What are you doing to my gun?"

"Liam, I can't explain this right now. I promise you, I will. But right now, you need to leave. It's not safe for you."

"It's not safe? I'm not leaving you if it's not safe. What are you doing?"

"Liam!" I was frustrated. "I love you, but you need to get to a safe place. I promise I'll explain everything." Without another word or look in his direction, I bolted after Sam.

I stood a few feet away from them. Both Sam and Dean were facing the park, with a girl my age following closely at their heels. A tall, lanky, dark creature crept slowly towards them. His tentacles swarmed around his body; just looking at him send chills down my spine.

He lunged towards Dean and I shot at it without a moment's hesitation. Sam, Dean, and the girl all turned quickly to look at me.

"You're welcome," I called out.

Dean whistled. " _Damn_ , Char! Who _are_ you?"

"What the hell!?" Liam's familiar voice shrieked from a few feet away. I silently cursed myself for not seeing to it myself that he left. "Drew! You just shot that thing!" I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment before turning to face him.

"Liam, I promised you I would tell you everything but now is _not_ the time. It's going to come back any minute and you need to take this poor girl and get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you in danger! As your _boyfriend_ and as a police officer, my job is to protect you!" Liam argued.

"Listen pretty boy, we're the only ones who can protect her," Dean cocked his head to the side in an annoyingly egotistical manner. Liam's eyes narrowed in anger as Sam shot a look at his brother.

"The best way you can help is by getting this girl to safety," Sam clarified and gestured towards the petrified girl next to him. "Drew can handle herself, but she can't focus if she's worried about you. Get to safety and we'll meet you soon." Maybe it was Sam's comforting voice, or maybe it was just Sam in general that got through to Liam, but he reluctantly nodded and held his hand out. After stealing one last look at Sam and Dean, the girl ran to Liam and gripped his arm tightly while they ran to safety.

An ear-splitting wail sounded as an alarm before tall, dark, and octopus came barreling towards us. Sam fired off another shot, which slowed him down a little, but didn't stop him.

I took a few shots at Slenderman as I sprinted towards the Winchesters.

"What's the plan?" I asked breathlessly when I reached them.

"Keep shooting," Dean answered as he fired another shot. The monster, Slenderman, paused a moment, crouching low to the ground as if waiting for its strength to return. We paused, waiting for its next move.

But as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. I lowered my gun and scanned the area.

"Is...is it gone?" I asked slowly. I saw Sam nod out of the corner of my eye.

"Yeah," he brushed the hair out of his face. "It's gone." I breathed a sigh of relief as I tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I found myself saying, "What's next?"

"Next?" Dean cocked an eyebrow. I nodded.

"How do we kill this thing?" Dean clapped his hands together excitedly.

"Alright, now that the band's back together-"

I cut him off. "Hold up, first things's first: the 'gang' is not back together. This is my _home_ and I want this thing gone. The sooner, the better."

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, check out Serenity's story:_ Nothing But A Memory.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

I wasn't sure where Liam ended up that night, but I was sure he was safe. For the night, that was all I cared about. I sent him a quick text to tell him not to worry about me, and I would explain everything in the morning. Then I jumped into the backseat of Baby and drove to the motel the boys were staying in.

It felt oddly nostalgic sitting in the backseat, listening to the boys bicker up front. Dean in the driver's seat, one hand on the wheel, Sam in the passenger's seat, researching folklore on the phone while trying to contain the frustration he felt towards his brother. There was an ache in my chest as memories I had buried deep in my mind flooded back.

My phone went off just as Dean shifted Baby into park. Liam's name lit up my screen. I let out a deep, audible exhale, meeting Dean's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"I'll be right in," I told them as the two entered the room and I hung back to answer my boyfriend's call.

"Hey." I was suddenly exhausted.

"Drew? Are you okay? What happened? What the hell happened back there?" he starting shooting out questions rapid fire as soon as I answered.

"Liam," I had to interrupt him to get a word in. I rubbed my eyes and let out a deep breath. "I'm safe, I'm with Sam and Dean now. I know you're confused, and I promise I'll explain everything in the morning."

"Baby, I need answers now." I could hear the frustration in his voice and I was overly aware of the evenness in his breathing as he tried to keep calm.

A dull ache formed between my eyebrows and I pinched the bridge of my nose in a half-hearted attempt to relieve the pain.

"I know," my voice was barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and spoke louder. "And I'm sorry, but I can't explain right now. I have to go. I love you."

"Wait-" I hung up before he could say another word. I looked up at the stars before letting out a groan and burying my head between my knees. It wasn't that I didn't want to tell Liam the truth about my past. I loved him with my entire being and I wanted nothing more than to be truthful and honest with him. I was more concerned with how I would go about telling him that not only do monsters exist, but I used to hunt them? Or worse, how would he react? Would be believe me? Have me committed? Or worse yet… Leave me?

I heard the door to the motel room open and close behind me, and felt the presence of someone as they sat beside me.

"Hey," Sam's voice was hesitant, like he wasn't sure if it was okay for him to speak.

"Hey." I lifted my head, shifting my focus to a tree across the street.

"Thank you," he said. "For helping us out back there."

"Yeah, no problem," I shrugged.

"You really saved our asses back there, and having Liam get that girl out of there… It really helped us out."

I loved Sam. I wanted to hate him, but I was completely incapable. But despite how badly I wanted to throw my arms around him, hug him, and tell him how much I'd missed him, the awkward tension in the air kept my arms at my sides.

"What are the odds you'll stick around us for a while?" Sam asked after a few moments of silence. "Help us kill a monster? For old time's sake?"

I let out a short, unamused laugh. "Old time's sake? You and Dean wouldn't let me _near_ a monster if you could help it."

Sam laughed. "You're right. My brother and I have always felt this unexplainable need to protect you. But honestly, after tonight, I think you've pretty much proven you can hold your own."

Pride welled up inside me. I always knew Sam was the better brother.

"Really?" I asked. "Just like that? A few bullets and now I'm one of you?"

"Not just that," Sam laughed. "You didn't back down. You took charge, you didn't panic, and you saved that girl. You were amazing tonight. Dean and I are so impressed and extremely proud of you."

"Oh, my God, Sam, you're going to make me cry," I blinked back the tears that pricked at my eyes. Sam flashed a toothy grin at me. He stood up, offering his hand to help me. I graciously took it and got to my feet. As soon as I was standing, Sam pulled my hand and I stumbled into his ready arms. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, and welcoming the familiarity of his hug. After a moment, we pulled away and walked into the motel without saying another word.

Dean sat at the old wooden table, hunched over Sam's laptop. His face was scrunched in concentration and I stifled a laugh at the sight. If I knew Dean-and assuming he hadn't changed in the last three years, I did-he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

"What's so funny, Char?" Dean's eyes flickered from the screen to me.

"Oh, nothing. Couldn't figure out how to work the porn sites?" I think I'd meant for it to be a joke, but there was a sharp edge to my voice that I hadn't originally intended for. As much as I wanted to deny any lingering effects Dean had on me, hearing his old nickname had apparently cut deep.

"Come on, you know I'd never do that with you just outside," he winked.

"Ew."

Sam cleared his throat. "So Dean, did you find anything?"

Dean leaned back and put both of his palms flat on the table on either side of the computer. "Well, the beautiful woman in the room was right about one thing: I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Some things never change," I rolled my eyes.

Sam sat down next to his brother, who turned the laptop to face him. With expertise, Sam took over the research process. I lay sprawled across the bed as the three of us tossed ideas around and formed plans, just like old times.

I'd had every intention of returning to my own home before daylight, but the longer I laid in the bed, the more comfortable I got and the heavier my eyelids grew.

When I woke up the next morning, it took me a few moments to remember where I was. But confident I was safe with the Winchester brothers, I snuggled deeper under the covers and kept my eyes shut. For the time being, everything was calm and I wanted to preserve the peace before the big hunt for the being known as Slenderman. And the main event: when Liam learned the truth.

I let out a loud groan and threw the covers over my head at the thought of the conversation to come. In all the time I'd known Liam, there had never been a day where I didn't want to see him. Until today.

"Well, good morning Sleeping Beauty," Dean laughed. "Sleep well?"

"Shut up," I grumbled. Even just hearing his voice made my blood boil. The night before, I'd been so excited that Sam asked me to stay. Now the thought of spending so much time with the boys who broke my heart seemed like the worst possible way to spend my weekend.

"Ooh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I threw the covers off of my and chucked a pillow in the direction of Dean's voice. He complained when it hit him. When my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I found Dean sprawled across a chair, with his legs up on the table and a blanket lazily draped across his lap.

"Did… Did you sleep there?"

Dean smirked. "You have a boyfriend. I'm a gentleman." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Maybe Dean had changed.

He slowly sat up and leaned across the table. "But if you wanted me to sleep with you, you just have to ask," he winked. Never mind.

"Dean, don't be a dick," Sam grumbled sleepily before covering his face with a pillow.

"Yeah, Dean," I stuck my tongue out at him, immediately regretting how childish it was. "Don't be a dick."

"Don't pretend you don't love it." I rolled my eyes, refusing to give in any further to Dean's weird bantering.

"Alright, well if one of y'all could take me home so I can get changed, that'd be awesome." Completely awake after dealing with Dean, I threw the covers off and made my way to the door, slipping on the pair of flip-flops I'd worn the night before.

"Why do you need to change? You look pretty fantastic in that," Dean gestured to the tank top and pajama shorts I wore. Sam threw his pillow at Dean and ordered him to take me home so we could get back to work on the case. Dean grumbled something about having two pillows thrown at his face before 10 AM. I answered with a snarky "You deserved it" and waited outside for Dean to get the keys and take me home.

Sitting shotgun felt strange. I remembered spending months arguing with the boys over why I always sat in the backseat, and the intense satisfaction I felt whenever Sam let me switch seats.

Having Dean sit to the left of me, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions long forgotten. As he drove, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting in his lap, I studied him. The natural, relaxed slouch in his shoulders, the definition of his cheekbones, the sharp edge to his jawline. The same bright green eyes I'd lost myself in so many times before, the short dark hair I'd always wanted to run my fingers through, the perfect curve to his lips that I'd only once had the pleasure to explore myself.

Dean noticed my staring and the corner of his lips curved up on a smirk.

"Can I help you with anything, Chardonnay?" I immediately shook all of those thoughts out of my head. I didn't love Dean, I loved Liam. Having Dean back was just messing with my head, but those thoughts meant nothing. Besides, to him, _I_ meant nothing.

"No." I directed my attention back to the road in front of me. "Turn right here."

"It's really, _really_ good to see you again."

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, check out Serenity's story:_ Nothing But A Memory


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

"Drew!" Liam bolted up off of the couch as soon as I opened the front door. He rushed to me, enveloping me in his arms and holding me tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Liam," I murmured into his shoulder. We stayed like that for a few moments, before Dean cleared his throat behind me. Annoying.

Liam let go and looked at Dean. It was subtle, but he stood up a little taller and pulled his shoulders back in what I could only assume was some kind of macho show.

"Hey," Liam's tone was short as he stuck his hand out to shake Dean's. They looked each other square in the eyes, knuckles turning white in their gripping handshake. It was too much testosterone for me to deal with on such little sleep. I excused myself to go change and considered telling them to play nice while I was gone. It wouldn't have done any good, so I didn't. I just had to hope Liam knew better than to fight Dean. With anyone else, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but Dean had a tendency to rub people the wrong way-especially people he wasn't fond of. And Liam wasn't exactly high on Dean's favorite people list.

I was quick, changing out of my pajamas and into a pair of black leggings and a white tank top. I grabbed an olive green jacket out of my closet and draped it over my arm as I met the boys back in the living room. They sat on separate couches in complete silence-not like it was a surprise.

I took a seat on Liam's lap, making a big show of throwing my arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. I wasn't much for public displays of affection, but I hoped it would make Liam feel better… And I may have had underlying motives like proving to Dean I wasn't still hung up on that one kiss we'd shared three years ago. Liam hooked one arm around my waist, cupped my face with the other hand and kissed me. Yeah, he was just fine.

Dean huffed out an annoyed sigh just before I broke the kiss. Liam's laptop was open in front of me and the screen caught my eye.

"What's this?" I asked as I pulled the computer onto my lap.

"It's the Slenderman website," Liam answered slowly. "After last night, I did a ton of research trying to make sense of what I saw. I don't know, it's crazy. None of it makes sense. I mean, Slenderman? Come on."

"Dean, look at this," I ignored Liam's words and turned the laptop towards Dean. "What are these symbols?" He leaned closer, squinting his eyes as he searched the screen. He muttered something under his breath and dug into his jean pocket to retrieve his phone. Holding up the phone's camera to the computer screen, he took a picture.

"Maybe Sammy will know." Dean's phone started ringing almost immediately.

"Sam's good," I chuckled.

"Sammy, you're on speaker," Dean held his phone face-up between us.

"What's going on?" Liam asked. Neither of us answered.

"Dean, get back here now," Sam's voice sounded from the phone speakers. "I've got something." Without another word, Dean hung up and the two of us stood up, making way for the door.

"Baby, wait," Liam caught my wrist. "What's going on? You promised me an explanation and I'm not real fond of being kept in the dark."

"Liam…" I looked desperately back and forth between the two men in front of me. I had promised Liam an explanation, but did I even have the time? This Slenderman issue seemed like much more fun than sitting down, explaining to Liam about the things that go bump in the night. Honestly, anything to avoid the look on his face when he decides I'm crazy. I wouldn't be able to handle a look like that from him.

"Alright, look JB. Slenderman's real. Monsters are real. All of them. Our job is to get rid of them. Cool? Let's go, Char." Dean spoke quickly and easily, as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb on my boyfriend. Liam's eyes went wide and he let go of my hand. His arms fell limp at his sides. That look. That was the look I was trying to avoid.

"I'm sorry," I couldn't raise my voice above a whisper. Dean was already halfway out the door. I ran to follow him, gripping his arm to give me some sense of security and stability. Despite how angry I was at Dean for letting it all spill out like that, so carelessly and unsympathetic, a part of me-the part that would never tell Dean for fear of ego-boosting or encouragement-was grateful Dean said it, so I didn't have to.

We were already halfway down the stairs when Liam yelled, "Wait!" I stopped dead in my tracks, a pit forming in my stomach as I wasn't sure what to expect next. Liam bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"I'm coming with you," he told me, taking my hand in his. I couldn't help but smile, despite my initial reaction being to keep him the hell away from this kind of danger.

"Char, we need to go," Dean was clearly getting frustrated and couldn't be bothered to even try to hide it. Without saying a word, I nodded to Liam and the three of us continued on back to the car.

Liam let out a low whistle at the sight of the Impala.

"Sick ride," he commented, meeting his own eyes in his reflection on Baby's clean exterior.

"Thanks." And that confirmed exactly how much Dean disliked Liam. He wasn't one to turn down a chance to brag about his pride and joy. To anyone. Well, now anyone but Liam.

You could cut the tension in the car with a knife. Dean's jaw was clenched tight; his knuckled white as he gripped the steering wheel, and his intense eyes never left the road. Liam looked out the window, keeping his mouth shut, and only meeting my gaze periodically in the rearview mirror. I wondered if I was being an idiot.

Scratch that, I _knew_ I was being an idiot.

When we pulled up to the motel Sam and Dean were staying in, I couldn't get out of the car fast enough. Dean had barely put Baby in park before I was out the door.

"Sam!" I called, knocking on the door a million times a minute.

"Drew?" Sam opened the door within seconds. "Are you okay?"

"Please tell me what you've got," I sighed, before adding in a whisper, "Dean hates Liam and it's awkward as hell." Sam nodded in understanding and stepped out of the doorway to let me in.

Liam followed suit, and Dean stomped along behind us. I took a seat on the edge of the bed, Liam sitting next to me. Sam sat at his computer and Dean slung himself over a chair next to him, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

"Okay, look at this," Sam turned his laptop to face us. The three of us craned our necks to see better. His laptop was open to the Slenderman home page, where I immediately noticed the strange markings scattered across.

"You know what those symbols mean?" Dean asked.

"I think it's a tulpa," Sam answered.

"A tulpa? W-what's a tulpa?" Liam's eyes were wide as he spoke. In fact, they'd been wide with shock ever since Dean dropped the monster bomb on him. I held his hand gently in mine, stroking the back of his hand with my thumb. I hoped it offered some kind of comfort. He was handling it surprisingly well.

"Basically, it's an idea."

"An idea?" I scrunched my eyebrows together. "What we saw definitely was not an _idea_."

"Let me finish," Sam smirked. "The idea is if you think and meditate on it hard enough, it becomes real. And if enough people think and meditate on the same idea, the stronger the idea gets, and the stronger the actual monster gets."

"So…" Liam spoke slowly. "Basically a bunch of whack job teenagers _thought_ about Slenderman so hard that he became real?"

"And the symbols… Some kind of magic?" I chimed in.

"That's what I'm thinking," Sam nodded. "The whole concept of a Tulpa is fairly unclear, but I think we've got the gist of it." Liam's hand shook in mine. It was subtle, but his whole body was shaking with panic.

"How the hell do we kill a _thought_?"

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Big Time Rush, check out Serenity's story_ : Nothing But a Memory

 _If you're a fan of Criminal Minds, check out Keatyn's story:_ In the Eyes of the Storm


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